Abstract
The main barrier to transdermal drug delivery in human skin is the stratum corneum. Pulsed electric fields (PEFs) of sufficient amplitude can create new aqueous pathways across this barrier and enhance drug delivery through the skin. Here, we describe a model of pore formation between adjacent corneocytes that predicts the following sequence of events: (1) the PEF rapidly charges the stratum corneum near the electrode until the transepidermal potential difference is large enough to drive water into a small region of the stratum corneum, creating new aqueous pathways. (2) PEFs then drive a high current density through this newly created electropore to generate Joule heating that warms the pore perimeter. (3) This temperature rise at the perimeter increases the probability of further electroporation there as the local sphingolipids reach their phase transition temperature. (4) This heat-generated wave of further electroporation propagates outward until the surface area of the pore becomes so large that the reduced current density no longer generates sufficient heat to reach the phase transition temperature of the sphingolipids. (5) Cooling and partial recovery occurs after the field pulse. This process yields large, high permeability regions in the stratum corneum at which molecules can more readily cross this skin barrier. We present a model for this process that predicts that the initial radius of the first aqueous pathway is approximately 5nm for a transdermal voltage of 60V at room temperature.