Oxytocin
REC PPT-OXYTOCIN // REV 2026-10-04 // assessment changes are logged, never silent
Approved hormone for obstetric use; social/behavioural claims are far weaker.
What it is
A naturally occurring nonapeptide hormone, approved in injectable form for labour induction and postpartum haemorrhage.
What it does
Acts on oxytocin receptors influencing uterine contraction, lactation and, in research contexts, social behaviour.
Does it work?
The obstetric indications are firmly established. The ‘love hormone’ behavioural literature is much more contested, with replication problems in intranasal social-cognition studies.
Claims vs data
Each marketing claim, tagged by what the evidence actually supports.
| Established obstetric medicine | supported |
| Nasal oxytocin reliably improves social bonding | weak evidence |
Reference figures
Quoted from published reference material. These are not Peptuity recommendations.
molecular data — PubChem CID 439302
The evidence, counted
Live counts from Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov.
73,039 publications indexed, including 2949 randomised controlled trials. 1275 interventional studies registered. This is a well-tested compound.
SRC // EUROPE PMC + CTGOV // "Oxytocin" // FETCHED 2026-10-04 // 73,039 RECORDS
Most-cited literature
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[01]
Epidemiology and causes of preterm birth
Goldenberg RL, Culhane JF, Iams JD, Romero R. · Lancet 2008 · 5393 citations · DOI 10.1016/s0140-6736(08)60074-4
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[02]
An analysis of 5'-noncoding sequences from 699 vertebrate messenger RNAs
Kozak M. · Nucleic Acids Res 1987 · 4106 citations · DOI 10.1093/nar/15.20.8125
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[03]
Towards complete and error-free genome assemblies of all vertebrate species
Rhie A, McCarthy SA, Fedrigo O, Damas J, Formenti G, Koren S, Uliano-S · Nature 2021 · 3900 citations · DOI 10.1038/s41586-021-03451-0
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[04]
Diagnosis and management of dementia with Lewy bodies: Fourth consensus report of the DLB Consortium
McKeith IG, Boeve BF, Dickson DW, Halliday G, Taylor JP, Weintraub D, · Neurology 2017 · 3443 citations · DOI 10.1212/wnl.0000000000004058
Regulatory status
Formal, dated regulatory actions.
Common questions
What is oxytocin approved for?
Obstetric use — labour induction and postpartum haemorrhage — where it is a WHO essential medicine with decades of clinical history.
Is the love hormone story true?
Partly folklore. The intranasal social-cognition literature has serious replication problems, and early headline findings have often failed to reproduce.
Why is it on a peptide reference site?
Because it is a nonapeptide hormone sold in the same channels, and because the gap between its obstetric evidence and its behavioural marketing is instructive.