Salivary and plasmatic oxytocin are not reliable trait markers of the physiology of the oxytocin system in humans

Single measurements of salivary and plasmatic oxytocin are used as indicators of the physiology of the oxytocin system. However, questions remain about whether they are sufficiently stable to provide valid trait markers of the physiology of the oxytocin system, and whether salivary oxytocin can accu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:eLife 2020-12, Vol.9
Main Authors: Martins, Daniel, Gabay, Anthony S, Mehta, Mitul, Paloyelis, Yannis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administration, Intranasal
Administration, Intravenous
Adolescent
Adult
biomarker
Biomarkers - blood
Diagnostic Techniques, Endocrine
Endocrine System - metabolism
Humans
Male
Neuroscience
oxytocin
Oxytocin - administration & dosage
Oxytocin - blood
plasma
Predictive Value of Tests
Radioimmunoassay
Reproducibility of Results
saliva
Saliva - metabolism
Time Factors
Young Adult
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Summary:Single measurements of salivary and plasmatic oxytocin are used as indicators of the physiology of the oxytocin system. However, questions remain about whether they are sufficiently stable to provide valid trait markers of the physiology of the oxytocin system, and whether salivary oxytocin can accurately index its plasmatic concentrations. Using radioimmunoassay, we measured baseline plasmatic and/or salivary oxytocin from two independent datasets. We also administered exogenous oxytocin intravenously and intranasally in a triple dummy, within-subject, placebo-controlled design and compared baseline levels and the effects of routes of administration. Our findings question the use of single measurements of baseline oxytocin concentrations in saliva and plasma as valid trait markers of the physiology of the oxytocin system in humans. Salivary oxytocin is a weak surrogate for plasmatic oxytocin. The increases in salivary oxytocin observed after intranasal oxytocin most likely reflect unabsorbed peptide and should not be used to predict treatment effects.
ISSN:2050-084X
2050-084X
DOI:10.7554/eLife.62456