Research brief · Hormone
Oxytocin Acetate
Nonapeptide OXTR agonist used in social-behaviour and smooth-muscle research.
Class
Nonapeptide neurohormone (oxytocin/vasopressin family)
Half-life
~3-6 min (systemic)
Studied in
Social-behaviour, pair-bonding and uterine-smooth-muscle research models.
What it is
Oxytocin acetate is the salt form of the endogenous nonapeptide oxytocin. It is widely used as a research probe for OXTR signalling in neurobehavioural, lactation and smooth-muscle laboratory models.
Mechanism studied
Selective oxytocin-receptor (OXTR) agonism with weak V1a vasopressin activity.
Research notes
- Plasma half-life is short — intranasal and acute IP exposures dominate CNS research designs.
- Cross-reacts weakly with V1a; selectivity controls (e.g. atosiban) are standard in receptor pharmacology work.
Before sourcing any material
- Confirm a lot-matched third-party certificate of analysis (HPLC purity and mass-spectrometry identity).
- Check the stated peptide content per vial, not just the gross vial mass.
- Plan reconstitution volumes first so the vial size matches your protocol.
- Verify what is lawful in your jurisdiction — these are in-vitro research reagents, not medicines.