Oxytocin is not a valid biomarker when measured in saliva by immunoassay
Abstract
The integration of oxytocin (OT) into behavioral science seems to hold considerable promise for advancing our understanding of human health and development but methodological issues restrict the measurement of OT in large studies, in everyday social settings, or when repeated sampling is required. Measuring OT in saliva could overcome many of these limitations. In this paper, we rigorously evaluate the feasibility of doing so. A series of experiments leads to the conclusion that saliva does not contain oxytocin in measurable amounts, and that OT is not a valid salivary biomarker when measured by currently available immunological methods. Levels of immuno-reactive OT in saliva are primarily due to non-specific interference with antibody-antigen binding. We can state with a high degree of certainty that measurement of OT in saliva does not yield meaningful indices of individual differences or intra-individual change.
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Matrix interference can be a problem in measurements in saliva at least for some antibodies, again because of nonspecific interference with antibody-antigen binding.
“However, matrix interference can be a problem in measurements in saliva at least for some antibodies, again because of nonspecific interference with antibody–antigen binding 132.”
From Measuring Oxytocin and Vasopressin: Bioassays, Immunoassays and Random Numbers (2016) · cites this paper as [132]
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References 17 · Cited by 111
- Authors
- Horvat-Gordon, M., Granger, D. A., Schwartz, E. B., Nelson, V. J., & Kivlighan, K. T.
- Affiliations
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Granger, Douglas A.
- Venue
- Physiology & Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2005-03
- Volume
- 84
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 445-448
- ISSN
- 0031-9384 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2039907860
- Cited by
- 111
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 1.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Physiology & Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Pennsylvania State University
- Johnson and Johnson
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Keywords
- oxytocin, saliva, salivary biomarkers, immunoassay, antibody-antigen binding, measurement validity, individual differences, within-person change
- MeSH terms
- Feasibility Studies, Humans, Immunoassay, Oxytocin, Saliva, Reproducibility of Results, Biomarkers
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