Problems with measuring peripheral oxytocin: can the data on oxytocin and human behavior be trusted?
Michael E McCullough1, Patricia Smith Churchland, Armando J Mendez
1Department of Psychology, University of Miami, P.O. Box 248185, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0751, USA.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
|May 14, 2013
Summary
Accurate measurement of oxytocin (OT) is crucial for understanding its effects and therapeutic uses. Current commercial methods for measuring OT in human samples are unreliable, necessitating a more dependable standard.
Area of Science:
- Neurobiology
- Behavioral Science
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Oxytocin (OT) research, focusing on neurobiological and behavioral effects and therapeutic applications, has grown significantly.
- Accurate peripheral OT level determination is vital for research conclusions and clinical interventions.
- While various plasma OT measurement methods exist, commercially available kits have been prevalent in human studies since 2004.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability and accuracy of commonly used commercial methods for measuring peripheral oxytocin (OT).
- To highlight the discrepancies between current commercial methods and validated earlier findings.
- To emphasize the urgent need for a standardized, accurate, and specific method for OT measurement.
Main Methods:
- Evaluation of commercially available methods for measuring plasma OT in human samples.
- Comparison of results from unextracted samples using commercial kits versus validated, laborious methods.
- Assessment of method specificity and reliability in detecting oxytocin.
Main Results:
- Commercial methods show a lack of reliability with unextracted human fluid samples.
- These methods inaccurately detect molecules other than OT, leading to significantly discrepant results.
- Discrepancies are notable when compared to findings from well-validated, albeit more labor-intensive, earlier methods.
Conclusions:
- Current commercial assays for measuring oxytocin are not reliable for unextracted human samples.
- There is a critical need for a new, accurate, specific, and accessible method to serve as a standard in oxytocin research.
- Advancing our understanding of oxytocin's roles in cognition and behavior is hindered by the lack of a reliable measurement standard.
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