Assay Principle: 

The DetectX® Oxytocin Chemiluminescent ELISA Kit quantitatively measures oxytocin in serum, plasma, saliva, clarified milk, and tissue culture media. This competitive ELISA provides accuracy and overnight-run convenience . Users should consult the detailed instructions in the kit insert before conducting the assay. The kit includes an oxytocin standard to create a standard curve.

Protocol Summary:

• Introduce standards or diluted samples into the included transparent microtiter plate coated with goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody.
• Add oxytocin peroxidase conjugate and oxytocin polyclonal rabbit antibody, then incubate the mixture overnight at 4°C with shaking. The immunological reaction inversely correlates with the oxytocin concentration in the sample.
• After overnight incubation, wash away excess conjugate and add the chemiluminescent substrate.
• The substrate reacts with the bound conjugate to produce a detectable light signal.
• Determine oxytocin concentration using the intensity and the standard curve with a plate reader.

Background:

Oxytocin is a neurohypophysial peptide produced in the hypothalamus. It binds to specific cell surface receptors, initiating a secondary intracellular response cascade via a phosphoinositide signaling pathway. Oxytocin is also commonly known as the “love hormone” because it plays essential roles in many reproduction-related functions in both males and females. Oxytocin modulates behavioral actions, such as orgasm, social recognition, pair bonding, anxiety, and maternal behaviors. Other classical activities of oxytocin include stimulation of uterine smooth muscle contraction during labor and milk ejection during lactation.

Vincent du Vigneaud first isolated and synthesized the neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin, earning him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1955. The molecule comprises nine amino acids linked with a [1-6] disulfide bond and a semi-flexible carboxyamidated tail. Oxytocin is highly conserved across species. In mesotocin, a common oxytocin-like peptide found in some fishes, reptiles, amphibians, marsupials, and non-mammalian tetrapods, there is isoleucine at residue eight instead of leucine.

The DetectX® Oxytocin Chemiluminescent ELISA Kit is an essential tool in neuroendocrinology and reproductive biology research. It enables researchers to quantify oxytocin levels accurately in various biological samples, aiding studies related to social behavior, reproductive health, and the broader understanding of neurohypophysial peptide functions.