Plasma oxytocin levels

Modahl, C., Green, L., Fein, D., Morris, M., Waterhouse, L., Fein-stein, C., and Levin, H. (1998) Plasma oxytocin levels in autistic children. Biol Psychiatry 43 270-277. 

Dawood, M.Y. Ylikorkala, O. Fuchs, F. Plasma oxytocin levels and disappearance rate after buccal pitocin. Am. J. 

Plasma prolactin levels are reduced with acute treatment and remain suppressed after 28 days of chronic treatment (Murphy et al. 1998). With acute treatment, no effects are seen on plasma luteinizing hormone or testosterone levels. However, chronic dietary 5% ginseng increases testosterone levels in male rats (Fahim et al. 1982). Chronic ginsenosides do not alter posterior pituitary hormones oxytocin and vasopressin (Zierer 1991). Similarly, human males administered ginseng extract showed an increase in plasma testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone, but a decrease in prolactin (Salvati et al. 1996). 

Plasma oxytocin has been shown to be reduced in autistic children and moreover, levels of oxytocin were correlated with social impairment (Modahl et al., 1998). A follow-up study using the same subjects found that the autistic children had higher levels of the precursor of oxytocin when compared with controls, suggesting that reduced plasma oxytocin in autistic children may be related to how oxytocin is processed (Green et al., 2001). Preliminary studies have demonstrated that infusion with oxytocin can reduce repetitive behaviors such as... 

Uvnas-Moberg, K., Windstrom, A. M., Nissen, E., and Bjorvell, H. 1990. Personality traits in women 4 days post partum and their correlation with plasma levels of oxytocin and prolactin. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology 11 261—272. 

A mucoadhesive buccal patch was evaluated for transmucosal delivery of oxytocin (OT) [103], OT was incorporated with coformulations of Carbopol 974P and silicone polymer. The plasma concentrations of OT remained 20- to 28-fold greater than levels obtained from placebo patches for a period of 0.5 to 3.0 h. 

Marchini, G., Lagercrantz, H., Winberg, J., and Uvnas-Moberg, K., 1988, Fetal and maternal plasma levels of gastrin, somatoatatin and oxytocin after vaginal delivery and elective cesarean section. Early Human Develop. 18 73-78. 

---