Oxytocin is nonapeptide that exerts a wide spectrum of central and peripheral effects, ranging from the modulation of stress and neuroendocrine response to the establishment of complex social behaviors (Gimpl and Fahrenholz, 2001). Oxytocin is synthesized in magnocellular neurons of the mammalian hypothalamus, specifically within the bilateral paraventricular nucleus (PVN), supraoptic nucleus (SON), and accessory magnocellular (AN) nuclei (Jurek and Neumann, 2018, Ludwig and Leng, 2006). These neurons possess major axonal projections to the neurohypophysis by which OXT is released into the blood stream for peripheral distribution (Leng and Ludwig, 2016, Quirin et al., 2011). Oxytocin is released from the posterior pituitary in response to a variety of stimuli including sucking, parturition and stress (Gimpl and Fahrenholz, 2001). Further, OXT may also be synthesized in peripheral tissue such as sexual organs, placenta, corpus luteum and heart for local release or release into the bloodstream (Gimpl and Fahrenholz, 2001).
