TRANSDERMAL IONTOPHORESIS OF SALMON-CALCITONIN CAN REPRODUCE THE HYPOCALCEMIC EFFECT OF INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION

Salmon calcitonin (sCt) was administered by transdermal iontophoresis in rabbits, using a new drug reservoir assembled directly on the skin, based on a dry disc containing sCt to be dissolved at the application site. The hypocalcemic effect was taken as a measure of the pharmacod ynamic response. In rabbits, the results obtained show that salmon cal citonin skin penetration by iontophoresis, using pulsatile current of 0.8 mA/cm(2) on a reservoir containing 100 IU/Kg of sCt, was governed by the quantity of electric charge applied, mimicking the hypocalcemic response of 10 IU/Kg intravenous administration.