1: J Control Release  2002 Feb 19;79(1-3):219-27 

In vivo assessment of skin electroporation using square wave pulses.

Dujardin N, Staes E, Kalia Y, Clarys P, Guy R, Preat V.

Unite de Pharmacie Galenique, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Avenue E.
Mounier, 73 UCL 73.20, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.

The application of short-duration high-voltage pulses to the skin has been shown
to enhance transdermal drug delivery by several orders of magnitude and to
transiently permeabilize cells in tissue. Both exponentially decaying (ED)
pulses and square wave (SW) pulses have been applied. The latter have also been
used for electrochemotherapy. To date, their effect on skin integrity has not
been analyzed. The scope of this work was (i) to investigate the effect induced
by SW pulses on the stratum corneum and the skin, (ii) to evaluate the safety
issue associated with electroporation, (iii) to contribute to the understanding
of drug transport. Biophysical techniques (transepidermal water loss,
chromametry, impedance and laser Doppler velocimetry or imaging measurement) and
histological methods were combined to provide a global picture of the effects.
Ten SW pulses applied to the skin induced a mild impairment of the skin barrier
function and a dramatic decrease in skin resistance. These changes were
reversible. A transient decrease (<5 min) in blood flow was observed. Neither
inflammation, nor necroses were observed. These studies confirm the tolerance of
the skin to square wave pulses in vivo.

PMID: 11853933 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]