TheOxytocinELISAkitisacompetitiveimmunoassayforthequantitativedeterminationofOxytocininsamples.ThekitusesapolyclonalantibodytoOxytocintobind,inacompetitivemanner,theOxytocininthestandardorsampleoranalkalinephosphatasemoleculewhichhasOxytocincovalentlyattachedtoit.
Afterasimultaneousincubationat4°Ctheexcessreagentsarewashedawayandsubstrateisadded.Afterashortincubationtimetheenzymereactionisstoppedandtheyellowcolorgeneratedreadonamicroplatereaderat405nm.TheintensityoftheboundyellowcolorisinverselyproportionaltotheconcentrationofOxytocinineitherstandardsorsamples.ThemeasuredopticaldensityisusedtocalculatetheconcentrationofOxytocin.

Oxytocinisaneurohypophysialpeptidewhichisproducedintheparaventricularnucleiofthehypothalamusandstoredintheposteriorpituitary.Themoleculeconsistsofnineaminoacidslinkedwitha[1-6]disulfidebondandasemi-flexIBLecarboxyamidatedtail.Ahormoneoncethoughttobelimitedtofemalesmoothmusclereproductivephysiology,morecurrentfindingshavedeterminedthatoxytocinalsofunctionsasaneurotransmitter,maybeinvolvedinneuropsychiatricdisorders,social/sexualbehaviorandisimportantinmalereproductivephysiology.Oxytocinandtherelatedneurohypophysialpeptide,Arg8-Vasopressin,maintainrenalwaterandsodiumbalance.
Oxytocin:H-Cys-Tyr-Ile-Gln-Asn-Cys-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2
Highlyconservedacrossspeciesboundaries,oxytocin-likeneurohypophysialpeptidesaresubstitutedprimarilyatresidues4and/or8.Intheoxytocin-likepeptide,mesotocin,acommonpeptidefoundinsomefishes,reptiles,amphibians,marsupialsandnonmammaliantetrapods,theleucineatresidue8issubstitutedforisoleucine8.Actinginclassicalendocrinefashion,Oxytocinelicitsregulatoryeffectsbybindingspecificcellsurfacereceptorswhichinturninitiateasecondaryintracellularresponsecascadeviaaphosphoinositidesignalingpathway.

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