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Demoxytocin, also known as desamino-oxytocin or deaminooxytocin, is a synthetic analogue of the hormone oxytocin. It is a modified peptide in which the free amino group at one end of the oxytocin molecule has been removed, a change that makes it more resistant to breakdown in the body and gives it a longer, stronger action. Like oxytocin, it is an oxytocic drug that stimulates uterine contractions and milk release, and it has been used to help induce labor, support lactation, and manage breast engorgement. It is notable for being given as a buccal tablet that dissolves in the mouth.
- Longer acting than natural oxytocin
- Established uterine and lactation effects
- Theoretical bonding and stress effects
- Strong or excessive uterine contractions
- Possible effects on blood pressure
- Use only under medical supervision during pregnancy
Overview
Demoxytocin is a close chemical relative of oxytocin, the nine-amino-acid hormone released by the posterior pituitary gland. It differs by the removal of the amino group from the first residue, so that the terminal cysteine of oxytocin is replaced by beta-mercaptopropionic acid, giving a molecule sometimes written as 1-deamino-oxytocin [1]. This single change removes a site vulnerable to enzymes and makes the peptide sturdier than the natural hormone.
Deamino-oxytocin also holds a place in the history of peptide chemistry: it was among the peptides prepared by the then-new solid-phase synthesis method, and its synthesis was published in 1968 in the same period as work on oxytocin itself [1]. The drug demoxytocin was introduced into clinical use around 1971 by Sandoz and was marketed under names such as Sandopart, mainly in parts of Europe.
Like oxytocin, demoxytocin acts on the uterus and the mammary gland. Laboratory studies of deamino-oxytocin confirm its oxytocic activity in causing uterine contraction and note that structural modifications within this family can produce a prolonged, protracted response compared with oxytocin itself [2][3]. Its greater metabolic stability underlies a distinctive practical feature: it can be given as a buccal tablet placed between the cheek and gum, whereas oxytocin is usually infused into a vein.
In clinical use it has served as an oxytocic to induce or strengthen labor, to promote the milk-ejection reflex and support breastfeeding, and to help prevent or treat postpartum breast engorgement and inflammation. Its actions arise from stimulating the oxytocin receptor on uterine smooth muscle and on the myoepithelial cells of the breast [2].
Demoxytocin is a prescription oxytocic and an older agent with limited, regional availability today. It is supplied chiefly as buccal tablets, a formulation made possible by its resistance to the enzymes that rapidly clear ordinary oxytocin.
Mechanism
Demoxytocin is an at the oxytocin receptor, the same receptor engaged by the natural hormone [2]. Activating this receptor on the smooth muscle of the uterus triggers contractions, and activating it on the myoepithelial cells that surround the milk-producing sacs of the breast squeezes milk toward the nipple, producing the milk-ejection, or let-down, reflex. Removing the amino group from the first residue of oxytocin to form deamino-oxytocin makes the more resistant to enzymatic degradation, which is thought to account for its enhanced potency and longer duration of action relative to oxytocin and to permit buccal dosing [1][2][3].
receptor fingerprint
Oxytocin receptoragonist
Aminopeptidase degradationresists
Central social/stress circuitsmodulates
Dosingtypical ranges, not medical advice
interested in protocols and clinical dosages? make an account to see them! ^_^
Safetyrisks and cautions, not medical advice
As an oxytocic agent it can cause uterine contractions, so it is not appropriate in pregnancy outside medical supervision. Other potential effects include nausea, changes in blood pressure and, with high doses of oxytocin-like drugs, water retention. It is a prescription-grade agent and should not be self-experimented with casually.
Subjective profileweighing the evidence above
An interesting longer-acting oxytocin analog, but the calming and bonding claims are speculative. Not something to rely on for anxiety.
Resources
This entry is here for reference.
Research
- 1991first citedDevelopment and testing of protocols for computer-aided design of peptide drugs, using oxytocin
- 2008most recentImpact of the Merrifield solid phase method on the design and synthesis of selective agonists a…
- 1.Impact of the Merrifield solid phase method on the design and synthesis of selective agonists and antagonists of oxytocin and vasopressin: a historical perspective
- 2.Solid-phase synthesis and biological activity of the parallel dimer of deamino-oxytocin
- 3.Syntheses and biological activities of parallel and antiparallel homo and hetero bis-cystine dimers of oxytocin and deamino-oxytocin
- 4.Development and testing of protocols for computer-aided design of peptide drugs, using oxytocin
4 listed here; entry last updated July 2026
Reviews
My notesprivate to this device
FAQ
Is demoxytocin the same as oxytocin?
It is a modified, longer-lasting analog that hits the same receptor.
Will it help my anxiety?
There is no solid evidence it does; that idea is borrowed from oxytocin research, not demonstrated for this drug.
Why is it deaminated?
Removing the terminal amino group makes it resist enzymatic breakdown, so it acts longer.
Is it safe to take while pregnant?
No; it causes uterine contractions and must only be used under medical supervision.
Can I get the same effect from a nasal oxytocin spray?
They target the same receptor, but delivery and duration differ, and central effects of both are debated.
Adverse effects
- Strong or excessive uterine contractions
- Possible effects on blood pressure
- Use only under medical supervision during pregnancy
Notes and cautions
- Older drug with limited availability
- Demoxytocin has no published intranasal evidence. Its clinical literature is built almost entirely on buccal tablets, the Sandopart resoriblet used for induction and augmentation of labour, which patients held against the cheek rather than sprayed into the nose. Buccal absorption crosses the oral mucosa and has different kinetics, so those trials say nothing about nasal delivery. A search combining demoxytocin and its synonym deaminooxytocin with nasal terms returns only the buccal and oral trials; there is no nasal formulation, no nasal pharmacokinetics and no nose to brain measurement anywhere in the record. Whether demoxytocin would even be absorbed nasally is untested.