Abstract: Affectionate touch, which is vital for mental and physical health, was restricted during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study investigated the association between momentary affectionate touch and subjective well-being, as well as salivary oxytocin and cortisol in everyday life during the pandemic. In the first step, we measured anxiety and depression symptoms, loneliness, and attitude toward social touch in a large cross-sectional online survey (N=1,050). From this sample, N=247 participants completed ecologically momentary assessments (EMA) over two days with six daily assessments by answering smartphone-based questions on affectionate touch and momentary mental state and providing concomitant saliva samples for cortisol and oxytocin assessment. Multilevel models showed that on a within-person level, affectionate touch was associated with decreased self-reported anxiety, general burden, stress, and increased oxytocin levels. On a between-person level, affectionate touch was associated with decreased cortisol levels and higher happiness. Moreover, individuals with a positive attitude towards social touch experiencing loneliness reported more mental health problems. Our results suggest that affectionate touch is linked to higher endogenous oxytocin in times of pandemic and lockdown and might buffer stress on a subjective and hormonal level. These findings might have implications for preventing mental burden during social contact restrictions.

The oxytocin market is segmented by Indication (Antepartum, Postpartum), Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Drug Stores, Online Pharmacies), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The report offers the value (in USD million) for the above segments.

The Oxytocin Market size was valued at USD 4.07 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 8.89 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 11.8 % during the forecasts period. Oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter known for its role in social bonding, childbirth, and lactation. Produced in the brain's hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland, it facilitates labor contractions during childbirth and stimulates milk ejection during breastfeeding. This hormone also influences social behaviors, promoting trust, empathy, and bonding between individuals. In medicine, synthetic oxytocin (Pitocin) is used to induce labor, manage postpartum hemorrhage, and assist in lactation. Advantages of oxytocin include its pivotal role in promoting maternal-infant bonding, aiding in reproductive health, and potentially improving social interactions and psychological well-being. Research suggests it may have therapeutic applications in disorders involving social deficits, although further studies are needed to fully understand its effects and benefits.

Both oxytocin (OT) and touch are key mediators of social attachment. In rodents, tactile stimulation elicits endogenous release of OT, potentially facilitating attachment and other forms of prosocial behavior, yet the relationship between endogenous OT and neural modulation remains unexplored in humans. Using serial sampling of plasma hormone levels during functional neuroimaging across two successive social interactions, we show that contextual circumstances of social touch influence not only current hormonal and brain responses but also later responses. Namely, touch from a male to his female romantic partner enhanced her subsequent OT release for touch from an unfamiliar stranger, yet females’ OT responses to partner touch were dampened following stranger touch. Hypothalamus and dorsal raphe activation reflected plasma OT changes during the initial social interaction. In the subsequent interaction, precuneus and parietal-temporal cortex pathways tracked time- and context-dependent va...

The table contains 26 products whose active ingredient are classified under the same pharmacologic class Oxytocin [CS].

A collection of 12 brain maps. Each brain map is a 3D array of values representing properties of the brain at different locations.

Collection description

The global oxytocin market size is forecast to reach USD 193.02 million and estimated to expand at a CAGR of 9.3% by 2032, according to PMR.

The dataset contains the files (DARE_Workfile, Empathy_Workfile) used for the analyses of the study published by Fragkaki and Cima (2019) in Psychoneuroendocrinology. The study examined the effect of oxytocin administration on empathy and emotion recognition in 100 male adolescents living in residential youth care facilities. The study had a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject design. The study included 3 sessions: screening session and two experimental sessions. In the experimental sessions, the participants received oxytocin in one session and placebo in the other session and performed the same experimental tasks on empathy and emotion recognition 30 min after administration. The order of the sprays as well as the order of the tasks were randomized using computer randomization. We performed mixed modeling to examined the effect of oxytocin on the outcome variables. The file “Documentation-ReadMe” describes the trial information, methodology, and the variables included in the datasets. The file "icu_dutch" is the Dutch version of the Inventory of callous-unemotional traits, the file ctq_dutch" is the Dutch version of the Childhood trauma questionnaire", and the file "ades_dutch" is the Dutch version of the Adolescent dissociative experiences scale.

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide released in the central nervous system, which is involved in a wide range of behaviors including reproduction, parental care, and pair bonding. In addition, peripheral oxytocin is important for milk ejection during nursing and uterine contractions during labor. Oxytocin is produced mainly in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus. This study describes a neural circuit routing auditory information about infant vocalizations to mouse oxytocin neurons. They performed in vivo electrophysiological recordings and photometry from identified oxytocin neurons in awake maternal mice presented with pup calls. For this study, they made cell-attached and whole-cell recordings from PVN oxytocin neurons and other optically-unresponsive PVN neurons in awake head-fixed mouse dams. The dataset contains electrophysiology, behavioral, histology, and fiber photometry data. This study reveals a circuit that unlocks central oxytocin release and maternal behavior in response to pup calls.

No description was included in this Dataset collected from the OSF

The implementation of an institutional oxytocin checklist did not affect expert assessment of the use of oxytocin in labor. Checklist is included within the publication's appendix.

Antepartum Oxytocin: Used to induce or augment labor contractions when necessary to facilitate childbirth.Postpartum Oxytocin: Administered after delivery to promote uterine involution and reduce the risk of post-partum hemorrhage. Recent developments include: August 2022:The US patent for the painkiller intranasal oxytocin (TNX-1900) was awarded to Tonix Pharmaceuticals. Under the heading "Magnesium-Containing Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use," the patent sought to protect patients from pain—including migraine headaches—by employing intranasal formulations of oxytocin that contain magnesium. Tonix should have U.S. market exclusivity through January 2036 thanks to this invention, barring any potential patent term extensions., May 2020:Carbetocin Ferring, a heat-stable formulation approved by Swissmedic, is used to prevent postpartum hemorrhage in all births. This drug is the first to be approved under the new MAGHP (Marketing Authorization for Global Health Products) and Swissmedic procedures.. Notable trends are: Increasing number of difficulties during childbirth is driving the market growth.

Introduction

This note describes the data sets used for all analyses contained in the manuscript 'Oxytocin - a social peptide?’[1] that is currently under review.

Data Collection

The data sets described here were originally retrieved from Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection via the University of Edinburgh’s library subscription [2]. The aim of the original study for which these data were gathered was to survey peer-reviewed primary studies on oxytocin and social behaviour. To capture relevant papers, we used the following query:

TI = (“oxytocin” OR “pitocin” OR “syntocinon”) AND TS = (“social*” OR “pro$social” OR “anti$social”)

The final search was performed on the 13 September 2021. This returned a total of 2,747 records, of which 2,049 were classified by WoS as ‘articles’. Given our interest in primary studies only – articles reporting original data – we excluded all other document types. We further excluded all articles sub-classified as ‘book chapters’ or as ‘proceeding papers’ in order to limit our analysis to primary studies published in peer-reviewed academic journals. This reduced the set to 1,977 articles. All of these were published in the English language, and no further language refinements were unnecessary.

All available metadata on these 1,977 articles was exported as plain text ‘flat’ format files in four batches, which we later merged together via Notepad++. Upon manually examination, we discovered examples of papers classified as ‘articles’ by WoS that were, in fact, reviews. To further filter our results, we searched all available PMIDs in PubMed (1,903 had associated PMIDs - ~96% of set). We then filtered results to identify all records classified as ‘review’, ‘systematic review’, or ‘meta-analysis’, identifying 75 records 3. After examining a sample and agreeing with the PubMed classification, these were removed these from our dataset - leaving a total of 1,902 articles.

From these data, we constructed two datasets via parsing out relevant reference data via the Sci2 Tool [4]. First, we constructed a ‘node-attribute-list’ by first linking unique reference strings (‘Cite Me As’ column in WoS data files) to unique identifiers, we then parsed into this dataset information on the identify of a paper, including the title of the article, all authors, journal publication, year of publication, total citations as recorded from WoS, and WoS accession number. Second, we constructed an ‘edge-list’ that records the citations from a citing paper in the ‘Source’ column and identifies the cited paper in the ‘Target’ column, using the unique identifies as described previously to link these data to the node-attribute-list.

We then constructed a network in which papers are nodes, and citation links between nodes are directed edges between nodes. We used Gephi Version 0.9.2 [5] to manually clean these data by merging duplicate references that are caused by different reference formats or by referencing errors. To do this, we needed to retain both all retrieved records (1,902) as well as including all of their references to papers whether these were included in our original search or not. In total, this produced a network of 46,633 nodes (unique reference strings) and 112,520 edges (citation links). Thus, the average reference list size of these articles is ~59 references. The mean indegree (within network citations) is 2.4 (median is 1) for the entire network reflecting a great diversity in referencing choices among our 1,902 articles.

After merging duplicates, we then restricted the network to include only articles fully retrieved (1,902), and retrained only those that were connected together by citations links in a large interconnected network (i.e. the largest component). In total, 1,892 (99.5%) of our initial set were connected together via citation links, meaning a total of ten papers were removed from the following analysis – and these were neither connected to the largest component, nor did they form connections with one another (i.e. these were ‘isolates’).

This left us with a network of 1,892 nodes connected together by 26,019 edges. It is this network that is described by the ‘node-attribute-list’ and ‘edge-list’ provided here. This network has a mean in-degree of 13.76 (median in-degree of 4). By restricting our analysis in this way, we lose 44,741 unique references (96%) and 86,501 citations (77%) from the full network, but retain a set of articles tightly knitted together, all of which have been fully retrieved due to possessing certain terms related to oxytocin AND social behaviour in their title, abstract, or associated keywords.

Before moving on, we calculated indegree for all nodes in this network – this counts the number of citations to a given paper from other papers within this network – and have included this in the node-attribute-list. We further clustered this network via modularity maximisation via the Leiden algorithm [6]. We set the algorithm to resolution 1, and allowed the algorithm to run over 100 iterations and 100 restarts. This gave Q=0.43 and identified seven clusters, which we describe in detail within the body of the paper. We have included cluster membership as an attribute in the node-attribute-list.

Data description

We include here two datasets: (i) ‘OTSOC-node-attribute-list.csv’ consists of the attributes of 1,892 primary articles retrieved from WoS that include terms indicating a focus on oxytocin and social behaviour; (ii) ‘OTSOC-edge-list.csv’ records the citations between these papers. Together, these can be imported into a range of different software for network analysis; however, we have formatted these for ease of upload into Gephi 0.9.2. Below, we detail their contents:

1. ‘OTSOC-node-attribute-list.csv’ is a comma-separate values file that contains all node attributes for the citation network (n=1,892) analysed in the paper. The columns refer to:

Id, the unique identifier

Label, the reference string of the paper to which the attributes in this row correspond. This is taken from the ‘Cite Me As’ column from the original WoS download. The reference string is in the following format: last name of first author, publication year, journal, volume, start page, and DOI (if available).

Wos_id, unique Web of Science (WoS) accession number. These can be used to query WoS to find further data on all papers via the ‘UT= ’ field tag.

Title, paper title.

Authors, all named authors.

Journal, journal of publication.

Pub_year, year of publication.

Wos_citations, total number of citations recorded by WoS Core Collection to a given paper as of 13 September 2021

Indegree, the number of within network citations to a given paper, calculated for the network shown in Figure 1 of the manuscript.

Cluster, provides the cluster membership number as discussed within the manuscript (Figure 1). This was established via modularity maximisation via the Leiden algorithm (Res 1; Q=0.43|7 clusters)

1. ‘OTSOC-edge -list.csv’ is a comma-separate values file that contains all citation links between the 1,892 articles (n=26,019). The columns refer to:

Source, the unique identifier of the citing paper.

Target, the unique identifier of the cited paper.

Type, edges are ‘Directed’, and this column tells Gephi to regard all edges as such.

Syr_date, this contains the date of publication of the citing paper.

Tyr_date, this contains the date of publication of the cited paper.

Software recommended for analysis

Gephi version 0.9.2 was used for the visualisations within the manuscript, and both files can be read and into Gephi without modification.

Notes

[1] Leng, G., Leng, R. I., Ludwig, M. (Submitted). Oxytocin – a social peptide? Deconstructing the evidence.

[2] Edinburgh University’s subscription to Web of Science covers the following databases: (i) Science Citation Index Expanded, 1900-present; (ii) Social Sciences Citation Index, 1900-present; (iii) Arts & Humanities Citation Index, 1975-present; (iv) Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science, 1990-present; (v) Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Social Science & Humanities, 1990-present; (vi) Book Citation Index– Science, 2005-present; (vii) Book Citation Index– Social Sciences & Humanities, 2005-present; (viii) Emerging Sources Citation Index, 2015-present.

[3] For those interested, the following PMIDs were identified as ‘articles’ by WoS, but as ‘reviews’ by PubMed: ‘34502097’ ‘33400920’ ‘32060678’ ‘31925983’ ‘31734142’ ‘30496762’ ‘30253045’ ‘29660735’ ‘29518698’ ‘29065361’ ‘29048602’ ‘28867943’ ‘28586471’ ‘28301323’ ‘27974283’ ‘27626613’ ‘27603523’ ‘27603327’ ‘27513442’ ‘27273834’ ‘27071789’ ‘26940141’ ‘26932552’ ‘26895254’ ‘26869847’ ‘26788924’ ‘26581735’ ‘26548910’ ‘26317636’ ‘26121678’ ‘26094200’ ‘25997760’ ‘25631363’ ‘25526824’ ‘25446893’ ‘25153535’ ‘25092245’ ‘25086828’ ‘24946432’ ‘24637261’ ‘24588761’ ‘24508579’ ‘24486356’ ‘24462936’ ‘24239932’ ‘24239931’ ‘24231551’ ‘24216134’ ‘23955310’ ‘23856187’ ‘23686025’ ‘23589638’ ‘23575742’ ‘23469841’ ‘23055480’ ‘22981649’ ‘22406388’ ‘22373652’ ‘22141469’ ‘21960250’ ‘21881219’ ‘21802859’ ‘21714746’ ‘21618004’ ‘21150165’ ‘20435805’ ‘20173685’ ‘19840865’ ‘19546570’ ‘19309413’ ‘15288368’ ‘12359512’ ‘9401603’ ‘9213136’ ‘7630585’

[4] Sci2 Team. (2009). Science of Science (Sci2) Tool. Indiana University and SciTech Strategies. Stable URL: https://sci2.cns.iu.edu

[5] Bastian, M., Heymann, S., & Jacomy, M. (2009).

The global Oxytocin Injection market size was valued at USD XX million in 2025 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of XX% during the forecast period of 2025-2033. The growth of the market can be attributed to the increasing demand for oxytocin for the induction of labor, the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage, and the treatment of lactation insufficiency. Key drivers of the market include the rising incidence of postpartum hemorrhage, the increasing number of cesarean deliveries, and the growing awareness of the benefits of oxytocin. However, the market is facing some challenges, such as the high cost of oxytocin and the availability of generic alternatives. The market is segmented by application (animal use, human use), type (oxytocin, carbetocin), and region (North America, South America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia Pacific). The human use segment is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period, while the oxytocin segment is expected to account for the largest share of the market. North America is expected to remain the largest regional market for oxytocin injection, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific.

The global Oxytocin Supplement market is projected to reach a value of $90 million by 2033, expanding at a CAGR of 7.9% from 2025 to 2033. The increasing prevalence of mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and autism, is driving the demand for oxytocin supplements as these supplements have been shown to have therapeutic effects in reducing symptoms of these conditions. Additionally, the growing awareness about the benefits of oxytocin, such as its role in promoting social bonding and reducing stress, is contributing to the market growth. Geographical segmentation reveals that North America holds the dominant share in the Oxytocin Supplement market, owing to the high prevalence of mental health disorders and the presence of major pharmaceutical companies in the region. Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period due to rising healthcare expenditure, increasing awareness about mental health, and the presence of a large population base. Key players in the market include PherLuv, Green Organic Supplements, CareFirst Pharmacy, Super Nature Products, BeringOmega, and Empower Pharmacy Market Outlook The global oxytocin supplement market is poised to witness substantial growth, with an estimated value of over USD 500 million by 2028. This surge is attributed to the increasing prevalence of hormone imbalances, social isolation, and mental health issues, driving the demand for oxytocin as a natural remedy.

Mean salivary oxytocin levels (pg/ml) and standard deviations (SD) across the groups and measurement moments.

Global Oxytocin Receptor Antagonists market size 2025 is $227.7 Million whereas according out published study it will reach to $382.5 Million by 2033. Oxytocin Receptor Antagonists market will be growing at a CAGR of 6.7% during 2025 to 2033.

The size and share of the market is categorized based on Application (Odinopoeia, Labor-inducing Drug, Other) and Product (10IU, 5IU, 200IU, Other) and geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle-East and Africa).

Oxytocin Injection Market Outlook

The global oxytocin injection market size is projected to grow significantly, with an estimated value of USD 150 million in 2023, and is expected to reach USD 250 million by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.5%. This upward trend is primarily driven by the increasing demand for oxytocin in various medical applications, alongside advancements in pharmaceutical research and healthcare practices. Oxytocin injections are widely used in labor induction and the management of postpartum hemorrhage, which are critical aspects of maternal healthcare globally. The growing awareness regarding maternal health and the enhancement of healthcare infrastructure are pivotal growth factors contributing to the market's expansion.

A primary growth factor for the oxytocin injection market is the rising focus on maternal and child health worldwide. Governments and healthcare organizations have been investing significantly in maternal health programs to reduce maternal mortality rates, which is fostering the demand for oxytocin injections. These injections play a crucial role in reducing complications during childbirth, such as labor induction and the prevention of excessive bleeding postpartum. Furthermore, increasing awareness among healthcare providers and patients about the benefits of oxytocin has led to its widespread adoption, thereby driving market growth. Additionally, advancements in pharmaceutical formulations and delivery mechanisms have enhanced the effectiveness and safety profile of oxytocin injections, further propelling the market.

Another vital driver is the surge in research activities focusing on the broader therapeutic applications of oxytocin beyond its traditional use in obstetrics. Recent studies have suggested potential benefits of oxytocin in enhancing lactation and treating certain psychological and behavioral conditions, expanding its application scope. This has prompted pharmaceutical companies to invest in R&D to explore new formulations and delivery systems, potentially opening new avenues for market growth. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of conditions such as postpartum depression and the growing emphasis on mental health are expected to contribute to the rising demand for oxytocin injections, as ongoing research continues to uncover its multifaceted benefits.

The expanding healthcare infrastructure globally, especially in developing regions, is another crucial factor driving market growth. Countries in the Asia Pacific and Africa are witnessing significant improvements in healthcare facilities and accessibility, which is anticipated to boost the demand for essential medicines like oxytocin injections. The integration of modern healthcare practices and the establishment of maternal health programs in these regions are expected to be major contributors to market expansion. Furthermore, strategic collaborations between international organizations and local governments to improve maternal health outcomes are likely to sustain the market's growth trajectory in the coming years.

In the realm of maternal healthcare, Atosiban has emerged as a noteworthy alternative to oxytocin, particularly in the management of preterm labor. Unlike oxytocin, which is primarily used to induce labor, Atosiban acts as a tocolytic agent, helping to delay premature birth by inhibiting uterine contractions. This distinction is crucial as it provides healthcare providers with a broader range of options when addressing different maternal health scenarios. The introduction of Atosiban into the market has been met with interest, especially in regions where preterm birth rates are high, offering a complementary approach to traditional oxytocin treatments. As research continues to explore the efficacy and safety of Atosiban, its role in maternal healthcare is expected to expand, potentially influencing treatment protocols and market dynamics.

Regionally, the oxytocin injection market exhibits diverse growth patterns, with North America and Europe currently holding significant shares due to their advanced healthcare systems and robust regulatory frameworks. However, the Asia Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period, driven by increasing healthcare investments and rising awareness about maternal health. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are also anticipated to contribute to the market's expansion, supported by initiatives to improve healthcare access and quality. The increasing focus on reducing maternal mortalit

The North America Oxytocin Injection report provides a detailed analysis of emerging investment pockets, highlighting current and future market trends. It offers strategic insights into capital flows and market shifts, guiding investors toward growth opportunities in key industry segments and regions.