Proteomics tools reveal startlingly high amounts of oxytocin in plasma and serum

Sci Rep. 2016 Aug 16:6:31693. doi: 10.1038/srep31693.

Abstract

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is associated with a plethora of social behaviors, and is a key topic at the intersection of psychology and biology. However, tools for measuring OT are still not fully developed. We describe a robust nano liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS) platform for measuring the total amount of OT in human plasma/serum. OT binds strongly to plasma proteins, but a reduction/alkylation (R/A) procedure breaks this bond, enabling ample detection of total OT. The method (R/A + robust nanoLC-MS) was used to determine total OT plasma/serum levels to startlingly high concentrations (high pg/mL-ng/mL). Similar results were obtained when combining R/A and ELISA. Compared to measuring free OT, measuring total OT can have advantages in e.g. biomarker studies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chromatography, Liquid / methods*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Humans
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods
  • Oxytocin / blood*
  • Proteomics / methods*
  • Reproducibility of Results

Substances

  • Oxytocin