Oxytocin Acetate

Product Details

Oxytocin Acetate (α-Hypophamine) — Research Grade Peptide, ≥98% Purity (HPLC)

Nonapeptide hormone. Oxytocin receptor agonist. Lyophilized powder. Lot-specific COA included.

Oxytocin acetate is a synthetic nonapeptide corresponding to the acetate salt form of oxytocin, the endogenous hormone produced in the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary. Its structure features a six-residue cyclic ring formed by a disulfide bridge between Cys1 and Cys6, with a three-residue C-terminal tail (Pro-Leu-Gly-NH₂). The C-terminal amidation is essential for receptor binding and biological activity.

The peptide is the endogenous agonist of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR), a Gq/11-coupled receptor expressed in uterine smooth muscle, mammary myoepithelial cells, and discrete brain regions including the amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and hypothalamus. Receptor activation triggers phospholipase C-mediated calcium mobilization, which drives uterine contraction and milk ejection in peripheral tissues and modulates social behavior, pair bonding, and stress responses in the central nervous system. Oxytocin Acetate

Oxytocin has an extremely short plasma half-life of approximately 1–6 minutes, due to rapid degradation by plasma and tissue peptidases. This short half-life is the central pharmacokinetic constraint on all oxytocin research: it limits the window for systemic effects and is the reason intranasal and central delivery routes are used in behavioral studies.

Supplied as a sterile-filtered, lyophilized powder for in vitro and preclinical research applications. Each lot is independently verified for purity and identity and ships with a Certificate of Analysis.

Specifications

Note: Oxytocin Acetate is heat-sensitive and should not be formulated in dosage forms requiring heat, such as rapid dissolve tablets or troches. The acetate salt form has a different CAS number and molecular weight from the free base (50-56-6, 1007.19 g/mol), and the two are not interchangeable for regulatory purposes. Verify the exact form, molecular weight, activity, and peptide content against the Certificate of Analysis supplied with your lot.

Research applications

Oxytocin acetate is used in laboratory settings to investigate:

• Oxytocin receptor (OXTR) signaling — Gq/11-coupled receptor activation, phospholipase C-mediated calcium mobilization, and downstream signaling in uterine myometrial and mammary myoepithelial cell models

• Social behavior and pair bonding research — OXTR-mediated effects on social recognition, maternal behavior, and pair-bond formation in rodent and prairie vole models

• Stress and anxiety research — oxytocin’s modulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, cortisol response, and amygdala reactivity under stress conditions

• Uterine contractility research — dose-response characterization of oxytocin-induced myometrial contractions for tocolytic and uterotonic pharmacology studies

• Milk ejection reflex research — oxytocin’s role in mammary myoepithelial cell contraction and the neuroendocrine regulation of lactation

• Intranasal delivery research — pharmacokinetics and central nervous system distribution of intranasally administered oxytocin, including mucoadhesive encapsulation approaches using chitosan to extend nasal residence time

• Analytical method development — LC-MS/MS quantification, immunoassay calibration, and stability assessment of oxytocin in biological matrices and pharmaceutical formulations

• Comparative nonapeptide pharmacology — structural comparison with vasopressin and oxytocin analogs (carbetocin, demoxytocin) for receptor selectivity and metabolic stability

Handling and storage

Lyophilized powder: Store at 2–8 °C or −20 °C, desiccated and protected from light. The powder is stable under these conditions for up to 2 years.

Reconstitution: Reconstitute under aseptic conditions using sterile water or an appropriate aqueous buffer. Oxytocin is soluble in water. Do not heat or vortex, as oxytocin is heat-sensitive and agitation can accelerate degradation.

Reconstituted solution: Store at 2–8 °C and use within 14–21 days. Aliquot into single-use portions to avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles. The disulfide bridge is susceptible to reduction; avoid reducing agents and metal ion contamination.

For laboratory use by qualified personnel only. Oxytocin Acetate