Oxytocin: The Neurohypophyseal Nonapeptide in Research

Oxytocin is both a classical hormone and a modern research topic. Its endocrine roles were established decades ago; its nervous-system research has been one of the busiest areas in behavioral neuroscience since.

The molecule

Oxytocin is a nine-amino-acid peptide with a disulfide bridge (C₄₃H₆₆N₁₂O₁₂S₂, ≈ 1007 g/mol), synthesized in the hypothalamus and released via the posterior pituitary. du Vigneaud’s 1953 synthesis was the first synthesis of a peptide hormone and earned the Nobel Prize — a foundational moment for peptide chemistry.

What the research looks at

• Social-bonding and affiliative behavior — the best-known thread; oxytocin-receptor signaling in social contexts
• Oxytocin-receptor pharmacology — binding and signaling studies for the OXTR
• Stress and anxiety modulation — the peptide’s role in HPA-axis and stress-response research
• CNS peptide signaling — how a neurohypophyseal hormone acts as a central neurotransmitter-like signal

Handling notes

Lyophilized, reconstitute with bacteriostatic water; the reconstitution calculator handles the math. Store at −20°C lyophilized.

See Oxytocin for CAS, purity and full specifications.

For laboratory research use only. Not medical advice.