Study summary · research use only
Oxytocin and Bone: Review and Perspectives
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This review discusses data on oxytocin's anabolic effect on bone. It describes bone cells as expressing oxytocin receptors, and oxytocin as promoting osteoblast differentiation and function, associated with increased bone formation without an effect on bone resorption, with osteoblasts synthesizing oxytocin in a process stimulated by estrogen. Animal studies cited report that systemic oxytocin prevented and reversed bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency, though oxytocin had no effect on male osteoporosis in these studies. Human data cited include lower oxytocin serum levels in anorexia nervosa and in amenorrheic women with impaired bone microarchitecture, and higher oxytocin levels associated with higher bone density in post-menopausal women but not osteoporotic men. The authors discuss oxytocin's potential relevance to osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, cognitive disorders, breast cancer, diabetes, and body fat gain.
Abstract
Recent data demonstrate the anabolic effect of oxytocin on bone. Bone cells express oxytocin receptors. Oxytocin promotes osteoblasts differentiation and function, leading to an increased bone formation with no effect on bone resorption and an improvement of bone microarchitecture. Oxytocin is synthetized by osteoblasts, and this synthesis is stimulated by estrogen. Animal studies demonstrate a direct action of oxytocin on bone, as the systemic administration of oxytocin prevents and reverses the bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency. Although oxytocin is involved in bone formation in both sexes during development, oxytocin treatment has no effect on male osteoporosis, underlining the importance of estrogen that amplifies its local autocrine and paracrine secretion. There are few human data showing a decrease in the oxytocin serum level in anorexia nervosa independently of estrogen and in amenorrheic women associated with impaired bone microarchitecture; in post-menopausal women a higher oxytocin serum level is associated with higher bone density, but not in osteoporotic men. Oxytocin displays many effects that may be beneficial in the management of osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive disorders, breast cancer, diabetes and body fat gain, all age-related diseases affecting elderly women, opening exciting therapeutic perspectives, although the issue is to find a single route, dosage and schedule able to reach all these targets.
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