Generation and transit pathway of H+ is critical for inhibition of palmar sweating by iontophoresis in water

Abstract

Passing galvanic current across the skin (known as "tap water iontophoresis" or TWI) inhibits sweating; however, its mechanism of action is unclear. Using improved methods, we confirmed that anodal current has more of an inhibitory effect than cathodal current, water is superior to saline, and the inhibitory effect is a function of the amperage used. To address the importance of current flowing through the pores, a layer of silicone grease was placed on the skin to reduce the shunt pathway across the epidermis. With silicone, total skin conductance decreased 60% without the sweat pores being occluded, swelling of the stratum corneum and collapse of the poral lumen was prevented, and current-induced inhibition of sweating was enhanced, most likely because of an increase in current density in the pores. The pH of anodal water, but not of saline, dropped to 3, whereas that of cathodal water increased to 10 during passage of current through the skin. Acidified anodal water was superior to alkaline water. Sweat glands isolated from TWI-induced anhidrotic palmar skin responded to methacholine in vitro, but the sweat rate and pharmacological sensitivity were slightly lowered. Thus the strong acidity generated by hydrolysis of water in the anodal bath and the further accumulation of H+ in the sweat duct by anodal current may be responsible for TWI-induced inhibition of sweating due to an unknown lesion(s) in the duct or sweat pore. The secretory coil function may also be altered because of exposure to intense acidity during TWI. The importance of H+ movement into the sweat pore for inhibition of sweating could be further exploited to develop new strategies for the control of sweating.