New tool lights up the love hormone in action

University of Queensland researchers have developed fluorescent tracers that light up oxytocin pathways in humans, enabling them to watch the so-called ‘love’ hormone at work in real time.

Oxytocin is produced in the brain, plays an important role in how people connect and interact with others and is linked to psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Associate Professor Markus Muttenthaler from UQ’s Institute of Molecular Bioscience said the tracers light up the part of a living cell, called the oxytocin receptor, which is switched on by the hormone.

“We designed and chemically produced molecules that specifically attach to the oxytocin receptor, allowing us to see where the receptor is, how it moves, and when it gets activated,” Dr Muttenthaler said.

“By making the oxytocin receptor visible and measurable, our tracers will help scientists around the world understand how it behaves in healthy versus diseased brains.”

Until now, researchers have had no reliable molecular probes to directly see and track the oxytocin receptor in living cells.

“This new knowledge could guide the development of more precise and effective treatments for conditions like autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, where the oxytocin system is thought to play a role,” Dr Muttenthaler said.

“Next, we want to develop our tracers further so they can be used in the diagnosis and treatment of other diseases like breast and prostate cancer.’’

The tracer design was recently patented in a collaboration between UQ, the University of Vienna, and the Medical University of Vienna.

The research is published in Angewandte Chemie, International Edition.

Collaboration and acknowledgements