Oxytocin

An endogenous nonapeptide hormone, approved as a medication to induce labor and also studied in research on social behavior and bonding.

Oxytocin is a nine-amino-acid hormone produced in the hypothalamus and released via the pituitary gland. As a medication, such as Syntocinon or Pitocin, it is approved to induce labor and control postpartum bleeding. Separately, intranasally administered oxytocin is studied in basic research on social behavior, trust, and bonding.

Facts

• CAS number: 50-56-6
• Molecular weight: 1007.2 g/mol
• Amino acids: 9
• Halbwertszeit: ≈ 1 to 6 minutes (plasma half-life, Pitocin prescribing information)
• Purity specification: ≥ 98 % (HPLC, commercial standard)

Evidence

• In a prairie vole animal model, central administration of oxytocin induced partner preference in females, while a selective oxytocin antagonist blocked its formation after mating. Insel TR & Hulihan TJ 1995, Behavioral Neuroscience, 109:782-789
• In a placebo-controlled behavioral study in healthy male participants, intranasally administered oxytocin increased willingness to entrust money to a stranger in a trust game, without altering general risk-taking. Kosfeld M, Heinrichs M, Zak PJ, Fischbacher U, Fehr E 2005, Nature, PMID 15931222
• In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 106 adults with autism spectrum disorder, six weeks of intranasal oxytocin showed no statistically significant improvement in core social symptoms compared to placebo. Yamasue H et al. 2020, Molecular Psychiatry, PMID 29955161
• A receptor-pharmacology review describes the coupling of the oxytocin receptor to Gq/11-protein-mediated signaling pathways such as phospholipase C and protein kinase C in cellular and animal models. Jurek B & Neumann ID 2018, Physiological Reviews, PMID 29897293

Frequently asked questions

Is oxytocin an approved medication or a research chemical
Both, depending on the use. For labor induction and postpartum hemorrhage, oxytocin is a prescription medication. For other research questions such as social behavior, it is separately sold as a research chemical, without approval for that purpose.

What is oxytocin studied for in social-behavior research
Studies examine intranasally administered oxytocin in relation to trust, bonding, and social perception. Results are mixed, and a widely cited early trust study could not be confirmed in a replication.

Does oxytocin work for autism spectrum disorder
The largest randomized trial in adults with autism spectrum disorder to date found no significant effect of intranasal oxytocin on core social symptoms compared to placebo.

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