The homone of love----Oxytocin
Every day, we meet new people. Like other mammals, human form social attachments with one another. Oxytocin, the hormone best known for its role in inducing labour may influence our ability to bond with others. This essay will discuss the impact the homone oxytocin has in our bodies. It will discuss functioning of oxytocin at cellular level, oxytocin’s action is variety parts of human body and how oxytocin can influence our social behaviour.
Oxytocin is a peptide of nine amino acids (a nonapeptide). The sequence is cysteine - tyrosine - isoleucine - glutamine - asparagine - cysteine - proline - leucine - glycine (Bower, 2008). The cysteine residues form a sulfur bridge. Oxytocin has a molecular mass of 1007 daltons(Bower, 2008).. As shown in the figure below:
Figure 1. The structure of oxytocin(Bower, 2008)..
Oxytocin is synthesized in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus, the hormonal regulation center in the brain (Bower, 2008). Oxytocin is one of the two hypothalamic hormones (the other one is vasopressin), that travel in the neurons themselves to the posterior lobe of the pituitary where they are released into the circulation (Bower, 2008).. Oxytocin is also synthesized in peripheral tissues and Granulosa cells (Bower, 2008). The release of oxytocin is triggered by an increase in serotonin, a neurotransmitter that women produce during romantic love (Baxter, 2007). Oxytocin is often released when a person touched, especially hugged or patted. Specifically, oxytocin is released in the brains of both mother and child during lactation and cuddling(Baxter, 2007).
In order for oxytocin to function, oxytocin receptor is needed (Dickinson,2007). The oxytocin receptor is a typical class I G protein-coupled receptor that is primarily coupled via G(q) proteins to phospholipase C-beta on human DNA(Dickinson,2007). The high-affinity receptor state requires both Mg(2+) and cholesterol to function...