Oxytocin ELISA Kits

Oxytocin ELISA kits are designed to detect and quantify oxytocin concentrations in various biological samples, such as serum, plasma, saliva, urine, tissue homogenates, and cell culture supernatants. These kits typically employ a competitive ELISA format, where oxytocin in the sample competes with a labeled oxytocin conjugate for binding to specific antibodies. The resulting signal is inversely proportional to the oxytocin concentration in the sample.

Key Components:

• Pre-coated Microplate: Wells pre-coated with anti-oxytocin antibodies to capture the target hormone.
• Standards and Controls: Known concentrations of oxytocin to generate a standard curve and validate assay performance.
• Detection Reagents: Biotinylated detection antibodies and enzyme conjugates (e.g., HRP-streptavidin) for signal generation.
• Substrate Solution: Reacts with the enzyme to produce a detectable signal, typically colorimetric.

Applications:

• Endocrinology Research: Studying oxytocin's role in reproductive physiology, stress response, and metabolic regulation.
• Neuroscience: Investigating oxytocin's involvement in social behaviors, emotional regulation, and neuropsychiatric disorders.
• Clinical Diagnostics: Assessing oxytocin levels in conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and postpartum depression.
• Pharmaceutical Development: Evaluating the effects of drugs targeting the oxytocinergic system.

Examples of Oxytocin ELISA Kits:

• Invitrogen™ Oxytocin Competitive ELISA Kit: Quantifies oxytocin in serum, plasma, tissue homogenate, and cell lysate samples. The assay range is 15.63–1000 pg/mL, with a sensitivity of 9.38 pg/mL.
• Arbor Assays Oxytocin ELISA Kit: Measures oxytocin in serum, plasma (EDTA and heparin), saliva, clarified milk, and tissue culture media. The assay has a sensitivity of 17.0 pg/mL.
• Abcam Oxytocin ELISA Kit (ab133050): Designed for the quantitative measurement of oxytocin in tissue culture media, human serum, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine. The assay range is 15.6–1000 pg/mL, with a sensitivity of 15 pg/mL. 
  

By providing reliable and quantitative measurements of oxytocin, ELISA kits are indispensable tools in advancing our understanding of this hormone's physiological and pathological roles.