Oxytocin decreases carrageenan induced inflammation in rats

The effects of oxytocin on carrageenan-induced inflammation in rat hindpaw was examined. Oxytocin at 100 (P < 0.05) and 1000 mug/kg s.c. (P < 0.05). b ut not at 1 and 10 mug/kg s.c., reduced the edema of the paw when measured up to 10 h after the injection. An additional experiment showed that the ef fect was comparable to the effect of the glucocorticoid dexamethasone. No e ffect was found by oxytocin i.c.v. In addition, rats with carrageenan-induced inflammation given oxytocin (100 0 mug/kg s.c.) responded differently to nociceptive mechanical stimulation (P < 0.05) and had a reduced amount of myeloperoxidase (marker for neutroph il recruitment) in the paw (P < 0.01). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All r ights reserved.