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Biomolecules Feb 2023Drug abuse is a worldwide problem that leads to negative physical, mental, and economic consequences. Although pharmacological strategies for drug addiction management... (Review)
Review
Drug abuse is a worldwide problem that leads to negative physical, mental, and economic consequences. Although pharmacological strategies for drug addiction management have been widely studied, therapeutic options with high efficacy and a low side-effects profile are still limited. Recently, there has been a growing interest in oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) systems as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of drug abuse. OT and AVP are hypothalamic neuropeptides involved in numerous physiological processes. Additionally, studies show that these neurohormones are highly implicated in the modulation of a wide range of behaviors. Interestingly, ample evidence has shown that both, OT and AVP are able to decrease the consumption of different drugs of abuse, as well as to ameliorate their rewarding and reinforcing effects. Furthermore, OT and AVP have been strongly involved in prosocial effects and social reward. In particular, OT has been shown to be able to shift drug-induced reward into social-induced reward, mainly due to its interaction with the dopaminergic system. This phenomenon is also reflected in the results of clinical trials where intranasal OT shows promising efficacy in managing substance use disorder. Therefore, the aim of this review is to comprehensively characterize the involvement of OT and AVP in the rewarding and other behavioral effects of drugs of abuse in animal models, with a particular highlight on the impact of social factors on the observed effects. Understanding this relationship may contribute to higher drug development success rates, as a result of a more profound and deliberate studies design.
Topics: Animals; Oxytocin; Social Behavior; Arginine Vasopressin; Vasopressins; Reward
PubMed: 36979340
DOI: 10.3390/biom13030405 -
Global Health, Science and Practice Oct 2018Carbetocin is more heat stable than oxytocin with at least equivalent efficacy for preventing postpartum hemorrhage. It will certainly be helpful if the supplier can...
Carbetocin is more heat stable than oxytocin with at least equivalent efficacy for preventing postpartum hemorrhage. It will certainly be helpful if the supplier can make it available in low-income country settings at a price comparable to oxytocin. But even so, programs will still need oxytocin and other uterotonic medications.
Topics: Humans; Oxytocics; Oxytocin; Postpartum Hemorrhage
PubMed: 30287526
DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-18-00336 -
Journal of Psychopharmacology (Oxford,... Aug 2020The neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin have been repeatedly implicated in social decision making by enhancing social salience and, generally, cooperation. The... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
The neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin have been repeatedly implicated in social decision making by enhancing social salience and, generally, cooperation. The iterated and sequential version of the prisoner's dilemma (PD) game is a social dilemma paradigm eliciting strategies of cooperation versus competition.
AIMS
We aimed to characterise the role of PD players' sex, game partner type (computer vs. human) and oxytocin or vasopressin inhalation on the player's strategy preference.
METHODS
Participants (153 men; 151 women) were randomised to intranasal 24 IU oxytocin, 20 IU vasopressin or placebo, double-blind, and played the PD. We examined main and interactive effects of sex, drug and partner type on strategy preference.
RESULTS
We found a pervasive preference for a tit-for-tat strategy (i.e. general sensitivity to the partner's choices) over unconditional cooperation, particularly when against a human rather than a computer partner. Oxytocin doubled this sensitivity in women (i.e. the preference for tit-for-tat over unconditional cooperation strategies) when playing against computers, which suggests a tendency to anthropomorphise them, and doubled women's unconditional cooperation preference when playing against humans. Vasopressin doubled sensitivity to the partner's previous choices (i.e. for tit-for-tat over unconditional cooperation) across sexes and partner types.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that women may be more sensitive to oxytocin's social effects of anthropomorphism of non-humans and of unconditional cooperation with humans, which may be consistent with evolutionary pressures for maternal care, and that vasopressin, irrespective of sex and partner type, may be generally sensitising humans to others' behaviour.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Choice Behavior; Competitive Behavior; Cooperative Behavior; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Male; Mentalization; Oxytocin; Prisoner Dilemma; Sex Factors; Social Interaction; Theory of Mind; Vasopressins; Young Adult
PubMed: 32207359
DOI: 10.1177/0269881120913145 -
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Jul 2022Is a cyclic neuropeptide produced primarily in the hypothalamus and plays an important neuromodulatory role for other neurotransmitter systems, with an impact on... (Review)
Review
Is a cyclic neuropeptide produced primarily in the hypothalamus and plays an important neuromodulatory role for other neurotransmitter systems, with an impact on behavior, response to danger, stress, and complex social interactions, such as pair bonding and child care. This narrative expert review examines the literature on oxytocin as a brain hormone. We focused on oxytocin structure, distribution, genetics, and the oxytocin receptor system, as well as the relationship of oxytocin with other neurotransmitters and the resulting impacts on the main psychiatric disorders. Oxytocin levels have been correlated over time with mental illness, with numerous studies focusing on oxytocin and the pathophysiology of the main psychiatric disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia, personality disorders, mood, and eating disorders. We highlight the role oxytocin plays in improving symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and social behavior, as the literature suggests. Risk factors and causes for psychiatric disorders range from genetic to environmental and social factors. Oxytocin could impact the latter, being linked with other neurotransmitter systems that are responsible for integrating different situations during the development phases of individuals. Also, these systems have an important role in how the body responds to stressors or bonding with others, helping with the creation of social support groups that could speed up recovery in many situations. Oxytocin has the potential to become a key therapeutic agent for future treatment and prevention strategies concerning the main psychiatric disorders.
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Humans; Neurotransmitter Agents; Oxytocin; Social Behavior
PubMed: 35888641
DOI: 10.3390/medicina58070923 -
Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics &... Aug 2018
Topics: Female; Humans; Oxytocics; Oxytocin; Postpartum Hemorrhage
PubMed: 30122562
DOI: 10.1016/j.tjog.2018.06.001 -
Drug Research Nov 2017
Topics: Brain; Face; Humans; Neural Pathways; Oxytocin; Receptors, Oxytocin; Social Behavior; Social Perception
PubMed: 29069673
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-116528 -
British Journal of Pharmacology Jul 2018Opioid addiction has devastating health and socio-economic consequences, and current pharmacotherapy is limited and often accompanied by side effects, thus novel... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Opioid addiction has devastating health and socio-economic consequences, and current pharmacotherapy is limited and often accompanied by side effects, thus novel treatment is warranted. Traditionally, the neurohypophyseal peptide oxytocin (OT) is known for its effects on mediating reward, social affiliation and bonding, stress and learning and memory. There is now strong evidence that OT is a possible candidate for the treatment of drug addiction and depression-addiction co-morbidities. This review summarizes and critically discusses the preclinical evidence surrounding the consequences of pharmacological manipulation of the oxytocinergic system on opioid addiction-related processes, as well as the effects of opioids on the OT system at different stages of the addiction cycle. The mechanisms underlying the effects of OT on opioid addiction, including OT' interaction with the monoaminergic, glutamatergic, opioidergic systems and its effect on the amygdala, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and on memory consolidation of traumatic memories, are also reviewed. We also review clinical evidence on the effects of intranasal OT administration on opioid-dependent individuals and discuss the therapeutic potential along with the limitations that accompany OT-based pharmacotherapies. Review of these studies clearly indicates that the OT system is profoundly affected by opioid use and abstinence and points towards the OT system as an important target for developing pharmacotherapies for the treatment of opioid addiction and co-existing affective disorders, thereby preventing relapse. Therefore, there is a clear need for clinical studies assessing the efficacy of OT-based pharmacotherapies in opioid addiction.
LINKED ARTICLES
This article is part of a themed section on Emerging Areas of Opioid Pharmacology. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.14/issuetoc.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Mood Disorders; Opioid-Related Disorders; Oxytocin; Reward
PubMed: 28378414
DOI: 10.1111/bph.13757 -
Theriogenology Feb 2021A duration of parturition beyond 300 min negatively impacts the health of the sow and the survival of piglets during parturition. Hence, oxytocin is widely used to...
Effect of intramuscular and intravaginal PGE-2 treatment compared to intramuscular oxytocin treatment in eutocic sows on the farrowing performance in a free farrowing system.
A duration of parturition beyond 300 min negatively impacts the health of the sow and the survival of piglets during parturition. Hence, oxytocin is widely used to speed up the parturition. However, oxytocin's negative side effects raise the need of finding alternative treatments such as those already implemented in human medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) applied intravaginally (PGE2-V) (1.0 mg) or intramuscularly (PGE2-M) (2.5 mg) to improve the parturition process after expulsion of the fourth piglet compared to a placebo (P-V), which was sterile intravaginal gel or intramuscular oxytocin application (OXY-M) (20 iu) in free farrowing systems.In total, 201 eutocic sows were examined after stratification by parity and random allocation into groups: 54 (P-V), 48 (OXY-M), 50 (PGE2-V), 49 (PGE2-M). Farrowing duration (time between first piglet and last piglet), piglet interval and placenta expulsion duration (time between first and last placenta) were recorded, and each piglet was scored for meconium staining and vitality. Furthermore, stillborn piglets were categorized into ante-partum and intra-partum deaths.Under the present conditions, neither administration of PGE2 nor oxytocin revealed a significant effect on the farrowing process or the vitality of the piglets when compared to untreated sows. Nonetheless, significant differences could be detected between PGE-2 and oxytocin treatments. The duration of farrowing was significantly shorter in oxytocin-treated sows (156 min) compared to sows treated intramuscularly with PGE2 (238 min). Furthermore, the placenta expulsion duration in the OXY-M group (130 min) significantly differed from PGE2-V (198 min) and PGE2-M group (218 min). Although these accelerations of parturition might be considered as a beneficial effect, routine treatment with uterotonic agents after birth of the fourth piglet in free farrowing eutocic sows cannot be recommended, because an overall benefit when compared to untreated sows was not approved.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Dinoprostone; Female; Oxytocin; Parity; Parturition; Placenta; Pregnancy; Swine
PubMed: 33271287
DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.11.013 -
Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health 2014Emerging research raises questions that synthetic oxytocin during childbirth may alter the endogenous oxytocin system and influence maternal stress, mood, and behavior.... (Review)
Review
Emerging research raises questions that synthetic oxytocin during childbirth may alter the endogenous oxytocin system and influence maternal stress, mood, and behavior. Endogenous oxytocin is a key component in the transition to motherhood, affecting molecular pathways that buffer stress reactivity, support positive mood, and regulate healthy mothering behaviors (including lactation). Synthetic oxytocin is widely used throughout labor and postpartum care in modern birth. Yet research on the implications beyond labor of maternal exposure to perinatal synthetic oxytocin is rare. In this article, we review oxytocin-related biologic pathways and behaviors associated with the transition to motherhood and evidence supporting the need for further research on potential effects of intrapartum oxytocin beyond labor. We include a primer on oxytocin at the molecular level.
Topics: Affect; Female; Humans; Labor, Obstetric; Lactation; Maternal Behavior; Mothers; Oxytocin; Postnatal Care; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 24472136
DOI: 10.1111/jmwh.12101 -
Experimental Animals Aug 2020Oxytocin, a posterior pituitary hormone, causes the contraction of the mammary myoepithelial cells that surround the acini. This ejects milk from the acini into the...
Oxytocin, a posterior pituitary hormone, causes the contraction of the mammary myoepithelial cells that surround the acini. This ejects milk from the acini into the primary mammary ducts. The milk ejection responses by oxytocin have not yet been exactly evaluated in mice. Thus, we present a novel method for quantitatively evaluating oxytocin-induced milk ejection in anesthetized lactating mice. We cannulated the mammary duct, administered oxytocin intraperitoneally or intravenously, and collected and measured the ejected milk. Intraperitoneal oxytocin administration (150 mU) induced continuous but oscillatory milk ejection. Repeated intravenous administration of 1.5 mU of oxytocin elicited repeated transient milk ejection. The volume of the ejected milk as a proportion of the stored volume just before each ejection (rather than ejection volume itself) was an expedient and reliable parameter representing the potency of ejection. The oxytocin sensitivity of mice at day 18 of lactation was determined from a sigmoidal dose-response curve as ED ≈ 2.69 mU. Based on this dose-response relationship, the specific activity of the oxytocin receptor agonists (Thr, Gly)-oxytocin and WAY 267464 were estimated as 976 and 6.87 U/mg, respectively. The assay presented here could be useful for physiological and pharmacological investigations of oxytocin-induced milk ejection.
Topics: Animals; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Lactation; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Oxytocin
PubMed: 32213759
DOI: 10.1538/expanim.19-0126