Synthetic oxytocin, sold under the brand name Pitocin among others, is a medication made from the peptide oxytocin. As a medication, it is used to cause contraction of the uterus to start labor, increase the speed of labor, and to stop bleeding following delivery. For this purpose, it is given by injection either into a muscle or into a vein.Oxytocin is also available in intranasal spray form for psychiatric, endocrine and weight management use as a supplement. Intranasal oxytocin works on a different pathway than injected oxytocin, primarily along the olfactory nerve crossing the brain blood barrier to the olfactory lobe in the brain, where dense magnocellular oxytocin neurons receive the dose application. The use of synthetic oxytocin as an injectable medication for inducing childbirth can result in excessive contraction of the uterus that can risk the health of the baby. Common side effects in the mother include nausea and a slow heart rate. Serious side effects include rupture of the uterus and with excessive dose, water intoxication. Allergic reactions including anaphylaxis may also occur.The natural occurrence of oxytocin was discovered in 1906. It is on the World Health Organizations List of Essential Medicines. Medical uses
An intravenous infusion of oxytocin is used to induce labor and to support labor in case of slow childbirth if the oxytocin challenge test fails. Whether a high dose is better than a standard dose for labor induction is unclear. It has largely replaced ergometrine as the principal agent to increase uterine tone in acute postpartum hemorrhage.
Nasal administration: Oxytocin is effectively distributed to the brain when administered intranasally via a nasal spray, after which it reliably crosses the blood–brain barrier and exhibits psychoactive effects in humans. No serious adverse effects with short-term application of oxytocin with 18~40 IU (36–80 mcg) have been recorded. Intranasal oxytocin has a central duration of at least 2.25 hours and as long as 4 hours. Oral: Oxytocin is destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract, so it is not active orally. History
Oxytocins uterine-contracting properties were discovered by British pharmacologist Henry Hallett Dale in 1906. Oxytocins milk ejection property was described by Ott and Scott in 1910 and by Schafer and Mackenzie in 1911.Oxytocin was the first polypeptide hormone to be sequenced or synthesized. Du Vigneaud was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1955 for his work. Etymology
The word oxytocin was coined from the term oxytocic. Greek ὀξύς, oxys, and τόκος, tokos, meaning "quick birth". Society and culture
Counterfeits
In African countries, some oxytocin products were found to be counterfeit medications. Other uses
The trust-inducing property of oxytocin might help those with social anxiety and depression, anxiety, fear, and social dysfunctions, such as generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder, as well as autism and schizophrenia, among others. However, in one meta-analysis only autism spectrum disorder showed a significant combined effect size.People using oxytocin show improved recognition for positive social cues over threatening social cues and improved recognition of fear. Autism: Oxytocin may play a role in autism and may be an effective treatment for autisms repetitive and affiliative behaviors.