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

OK Brandtzaeg, E Johnsen, H Roberg-Larsen… - Scientific reports, 2016 - nature.com
OK Brandtzaeg, E Johnsen, H Roberg-Larsen, KF Seip, EL MacLean, LR Gesquiere…
Scientific reports, 2016nature.com
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 …
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.
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