Lucas Weber
Principal Chemist
Oxytocin
Product information
Product description
Oxytocin is a cyclic nonapeptide closed by a disulfide bridge, signalling through a Gq-coupled receptor. Its peripheral smooth-muscle actions are long established; the central pharmacology is constrained by poor blood-brain barrier penetration and by two-residue similarity to vasopressin, which produces genuine receptor cross-reactivity. Requires reconstitution before use.
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Oxytocin
- Characteristics
- How does Oxytocin work?
- Research
- Safety & Handling
- Summary
- References
- Resource
- Peptonova Labs peptides
Characteristics
Compound class | Cyclic nonapeptide, intramolecular disulfide |
CAS Number | 50-56-6 |
Molecular Formula | C43H66N12O12S2 |
Molar Mass | 1007.2 g/mol |
Sequence | Cys-Tyr-Ile-Gln-Asn-Cys-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2 (1-6 disulfide) |
Synonyms | Oxytocin |
Molecular target | Oxytocin receptor (Gq-coupled) |
Physical form | Lyophilized powder |
Solubility | Water-soluble |
Lot documentation | Lot-specific Certificate of Analysis recording identity and measured purity |
How does Oxytocin work?
Oxytocin is a cyclic nonapeptide closed by a disulfide bridge between cysteine residues 1 and 6, synthesised in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary. It differs from vasopressin at only two of nine positions, which is the source of a persistent problem in the field: substantial cross-reactivity at vasopressin receptors.
The oxytocin receptor is a Gq-coupled G protein-coupled receptor signalling through phospholipase C and intracellular calcium release. Its peripheral roles — uterine smooth muscle contraction and milk ejection — are long established and mechanistically uncontroversial.
The central pharmacology is where the research interest lies and where the difficulties concentrate. Central oxytocin is studied for effects on social recognition, pair bonding, anxiety and neural plasticity, but the peptide crosses the blood-brain barrier poorly, and how much of an administered peripheral dose reaches central receptors remains genuinely contested.
Research
Findings below are drawn from published preclinical and clinical work and are presented for research context only.
Receptor signalling. Gq-coupled signalling through phospholipase C and calcium mobilisation accounts for the classical smooth muscle effects.
Vasopressin cross-talk. Two-residue difference from vasopressin produces meaningful cross-reactivity at vasopressin receptors, a recognised confounder in interpreting behavioural results.
Neural plasticity. Reviews describe oxytocin as a modulator of neural plasticity and social behaviour, with effects on the salience of social stimuli rather than on behaviour directly.
Blood-brain barrier. Poor central penetration after peripheral administration is a recognised and unresolved limitation on translating peripheral dosing to central effect.
Replication. Behavioural findings in the social-cognition literature have proved variable across laboratories, and effect sizes in larger studies are generally smaller than early reports suggested.
Safety & Handling
This section describes laboratory handling. It is not clinical guidance, and no safety claim for human or veterinary administration is made or implied.
Supplied lyophilized. Reconstituted peptide solutions have materially shorter working stability than the dry powder — prepare working aliquots and avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Handle as a research chemical of undetermined hazard. Use gloves, eye protection and a laboratory coat.
Storage temperature and, where applicable, reconstitution conditions are stated on the item specification sheet and the lot Certificate of Analysis, which take precedence over general guidance.
Dispose of unused material and consumables in accordance with the institutional chemical waste policy.
For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary use. Not a drug, food, cosmetic or dietary supplement.
Summary
Oxytocin is a cyclic nonapeptide with well-established peripheral smooth-muscle actions and a much-debated central pharmacology. Its receptor is Gq-coupled and its two-residue similarity to vasopressin produces genuine cross-reactivity.
The central literature is limited by poor blood-brain barrier penetration and by variable replication of behavioural findings. These are the two constraints that most affect experimental design with this peptide.
References
Resource
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