Analysing the skin barrier from down under.

Over the past 40 years the Australian contribution to the field of skin science has been led by Michael Roberts. One of his earliest papers on membrane permeation was published in Nature, setting the scene for his huge contribution to both the fundamental understanding of skin permeability and the application of that knowledge to improved clinical outcomes, new delivery technologies and minimizing toxicological risk. His work has been characterized by a mechanistic, mathematical approach to defining skin permeation. He defined the parameters important to skin permeation, established structure-penetration relationships and demonstrated the importance of maximum flux from a clinical and toxicological viewpoint. Through his systematic approach, Mike showed a parabolic relationship between maximum flux and lipophilicity, and established that this is driven mainly by variations in solubility of the solute in the stratum corneum. One of the significant strengths of Mike's work is the ability to express biological concepts in mathematical terms. He has developed mathematical models that enhance our understanding of epidermal, dermal, deep tissue permeation and follicular transport. Throughout his career Mike has been involved in pioneering new technologies both for analysing the skin barrier and influencing permeation across it. His fundamental work in the area of iontophoresis provided models that defined the parameters influencing its permeation enhancement. Mike's research has been translated into improved clinical outcomes, reduced toxicological risk and changes to the regulation of skin products. This article provides an insight into Mike Roberts and the Australian contribution to skin science.

The history of electrically-assisted transdermal drug delivery ("iontophoresis").

The first proposals for the use of electric current in drug delivery date from the mid 18th century. Serious progress was made in the 19th century notably by Benjamin Ward Richardson (1828-1896), Hermann Munk (1839-1912), William James Morton (1846-1920), Stéphane Leduc (1853-1939) and Fritz Frankenhäuser (born 1868). Administration of metal ions as well as alkaloids was tried at that time. Until the early 20th century, current mediated drug delivery was known as "cataphoresis"; Frankenhäuser is said to have introduced the term "iontophoresis" before 1908. Recently, researchers talk about "electrically-assisted transdermal drug delivery". The technique was never widely adopted but always proved useful to some extent in solving particular drug delivery problems. At the dawn of the 21st century, attempts are being made to achieve iontophoretic delivery of peptides and proteins.

Iontophoresis in dermatology. A review.

Iontophoresis, the process of increasing the penetration of drugs into surface tissues by the application of an electric current, has been applied to a great many disease conditions over its 200-year history. Although its greatest success has been in the treatment of hyperhidrosis, it is steadily finding new applications. Many aspects of the mechanisms of iontophoresis have yet to be studied before the technic is both fully understood and maximally utilized. In this article we review the literature on iontophoresis as it pertains to dermatology, including the basic principles, engineering aspects.

[Significance of iontophoresis in dermatology. With special reference to the management of lymphedemas]. / Die Bedeutung der Iontophorese in der Dermatologie. Unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Behandlung des Lymphödems.

The development of modern medicine has very often pushed older methods of treatment to the background. It will be tried to represent the importance of iontophoresis as a special form of electrotherapy for dermatology according to studies of literature and own observations. Iontophoresis is for most of the 40 to 50 dermatologic indications named in literature without any importance for the present. This is also to be said for their diagnostic and experimental application. Because of the synergistic effect of the galvanic current and the medicament sluiced in, iontophoresis is said to be recommended following literature, for the treatment of the rest of therapeutically only with difficulty to be influenced idiopathic hyperhidrosis manuum et pedum, constitutional hypertrichosis, the lymphedema and also the induratio penis plastica and of thrombophlebitis. It will be reported about own experiences in the treatment of lymphedema.