Oxytocin Acetate
Stocked in 5mg, 10mg at MontanaPep in Great Falls, Montana. Sold for laboratory research use only.
| Size | Catalog no. | Price per vial |
|---|---|---|
| 5mg | OT5 | $25 |
| 10mg | OT10 | $35 |
Classification
Endogenous cyclic nonapeptide hormone; FDA-approved for obstetric use
Structure and chemistry
Oxytocin is the cyclic nonapeptide Cys-Tyr-Ile-Gln-Asn-Cys-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2, molecular weight approximately 1007 daltons. A disulfide bridge between the cysteines at positions 1 and 6 forms a 20-membered ring, with a three-residue tail ending in a C-terminal glycinamide. It differs from vasopressin (Cys-Tyr-Phe-Gln-Asn-Cys-Pro-Arg-Gly-NH2) by only two amino acids, and that disulfide bridge is conserved across the whole oxytocin/vasopressin peptide family. “Acetate” refers to the salt form, not a different molecule.
What the published research shows
Oxytocin has one of the largest research literatures of any peptide — well over twenty thousand publications spanning reproduction, lactation, social behavior, metabolism and psychiatry. Its obstetric evidence base is long-established and underpins routine clinical use. Its behavioral and psychiatric literature is much larger but considerably less settled, and researchers themselves flag specific methodological problems with it.
Mechanism of action
Oxytocin is synthesized in magnocellular neurons of the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary. It acts on oxytocin receptors to produce uterine smooth-muscle contraction and milk ejection, and has central actions studied in relation to social and affiliative behavior. Research has also identified metabolic roles: mice lacking oxytocin or its receptor develop late-onset obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Development history
Oxytocin was not designed; it is an endogenous mammalian hormone. Its uterine-contracting activity was identified by the British pharmacologist Sir Henry Hallett Dale in 1906, and its milk-ejection activity by Ott and Scott in 1910. Vincent du Vigneaud at Cornell University determined its amino-acid sequence and achieved its total chemical synthesis in 1953.
Current regulatory status
Synthetic oxytocin is an FDA-approved medicine, marketed as Pitocin, and is used for labor induction, labor augmentation and management of postpartum hemorrhage. It has not been placed on FDA’s bulk drug substances lists. Catalog material sold as oxytocin acetate is a research-grade item and is not the approved drug product. Note that its widely publicized behavioral research — intranasal use for social or affiliative endpoints — is a separate and far less settled body of evidence than its obstetric indications.
Analytical testing
Identity should be confirmed by mass spectrometry against a certified reference standard, including verification of correct disulfide bridge formation — a linear, non-cyclized nonapeptide of identical sequence is a different and inactive molecule that HPLC purity alone may not distinguish.
Ordering from Great Falls
MontanaPep, also known as Montana Peptides, is an independently owned supplier based at 715 13th Ave S, Great Falls, Montana. Local pickup is available by arrangement, and we ship to research addresses across Montana including Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, Helena, Butte, Kalispell and Havre. Call (406) 799-0812 or email customerservice@montanapep.com.