Iontophoresis of amoxicillin and cefuroxime: rapid therapeutic concentrations in skin.

Context: Amoxicillin (AMX) and cefuroxime (CFX) are antibiotics used often to treat skin bacterial infections. Typically, high oral doses are required to achieve minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) at the site of infection that may affect only a very small area of skin.

Objectives: To lower side effects and increase therapeutic effectiveness, the percutaneous absorption and retention of AMX and CFX administered by iontophoresis was investigated in a rabbit model by measuring dermis concentrations via microdialysis.