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. 2021 Aug 9;22(16):8551. doi: 10.3390/ijms22168551

Table 1.

Oxytocin and bone: human studies on oxytocin.

References Method Population Biological
Parameters		 Bone Measure Fragility Fracture(n) Main Result Key Message
Elabd S. et al. 2008 [11] Cross sectional study 36 post-menopausal women:

  • 20 with severe OP

  • 16 healthy control

 OT BMD NA OT serum level 55% lower in OP (p = 0.005) OT level is inversely correlate with the occurrence of OP.
Lawson E.A. et al. 2011 [30] Cross sectional study 36 women:

  • 17 with anorexia nervosa

  • 19 healthy control

 Overnight OT secretion, leptin BMD NA OT serum

  • 50% lower in anorexia nervosa (p = 0.003)

  • associated with low BMD at the spine (p < 0.05)

 Decreased nocturnal OT levels is associated with low BMD and fat mass in anorexia nervosa.
Breuil V. et al. 2011 [31] Cross sectional study 36 post-menopausal women:

  • 20 OP

  • 16 healthy control

Same population than Elabd S. et al. 2008 [11]		 OT, estradiol, testosterone, FSH, LH, SHGB, TSH, leptin, BTM BMD 52 OT serum level:

  • Correlated to BMD (p = 0.005)

  • Not correlated to leptin, estradiol and age

 Low OT serum level is correlated to severe OP, independently of other factors associated with OP or known to regulate OT.
Lawson E.A. et al. 2013 [32] Cross sectional study 45 women:
  • 30 athletes:
    • - 15 amenorrheic
    • - 15 eumenorrheic

  • 15 nonathletes

 Overnight OT secretion HR-pQCT (tibia, radius) NA

  • Lower OT nocturnal secretion in athletes (p < 0.04)

  • In amenorrheic athletes:
    • - impaired bone microarchitecture
    • - bone microarchitecture strongly correlated with OT (p < 0.05)
 Important role of oxytocin for variability in bone microarchitectural and strength parameters in amenorrheic athletes.
Breuil V. et al. 2014 [33] Cross sectional study OPUS cohort

  • Population-based cohort

  • 1097 post-menopausal women

  • 89.6% with undetectable estradiol serum level

 OT, leptin, estradiol, BTM BMD 313 High OT level

  • associated with high BMD (p < 0.001)

  • especially at the hip in women with low estradiol (p = 0.05) or high leptin serum level (p = 0.02)

 OT has a direct effect on bonec ell, independently of estradiol OT mediated action.
Breuil V. et al. 2015 [34] Cross sectional study MINOS cohort: 552 men Age 50–85 y

  • 265 osteopenia

  • 32 osteoporosis

 OT, BTM BMD 60

  • No correlation between OT and BMD, bone turnover or prevalent fracture

  • Weak negative relationship between OT level and fracture risk (p = 0.04)

 Unlike women, OT level is not associated to BMD or BTM level in > 50 years old men.
Maestrini S. et al. 2018 [35] Cross sectional study 109 women:

  • 56 obeses (28 premenopausal)

  • 53 normal weight (27 premenopausal)

 OT NA NA Lower OT serum level in

  • post-menopausal (p < 0.001)

  • obeses (p < 0.005)

  • post-menopausal obeses (p < 0.05)

 Obesity and menopause are independent negative predictors of plasma oxytocin.
Aulinas A. et al. 2021 [36] Cross sectional study 37 Hypopituitary men:

  • 17 with diabete insipidus

  • 20 without diabete insipidus

No osteopenia or osteoporosis		 OT, vasopressin BMD NA Positive association between

  • OT serum level and BMD atm ultiplesites (p < 0.025)

  • OT serum level and hip structural analysis at intertrochanteric region (p < 0.02)

 Men with hypopituitarism and lower OT level showed lower BMD and less favorable hip geometry.

Notes: NA: Not available; OP: Osteoporosis; OT: Oxytocin; BMD: Bone mineral density; BTM: Bone turnover markers.