A Compartment Model for Percutaneous Drug Absorption

Abstract

In recent years, compartment models have been advocated for percutaneous drug absorption.- However, in vitro percutaneous permeation processes where steady-state is eventually attained have long been described using Fick's Law of Diffusion. Fick's Law is also sometimes applied to in vitro and in vivo percutaneous absorption pharmacokinetics where a finite dose is given. Although both compartment and diffusion models are currently employed to describe percutaneous absorption pharmacokinetics, it is not well known whether a compartment model can substitute for a diffusion model. This communication indicates that a compartment model is roughly interchangeable with a diffusion model so that finite dose percutaneous absorption processes, including those after the removal of vehicle and repeated dosing, can be approximated by a compartment model.