Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2022 Aug 29;377(1858):20210054. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0054. Epub 2022 Jul 11.
Oxytocin (OT) and the OT receptor occupy essential roles in our current understanding of mammalian evolution, survival, sociality and reproduction. This narrative review examines the hypothesis that many functions attributed to OT can be traced back to conditions on early Earth, including challenges associated with managing life in the presence of oxygen and other basic elements, including sulfur. OT regulates oxidative stress and inflammation especially through effects on the mitochondria. A related nonapeptide, vasopressin, as well as molecules in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, including the corticotropin-releasing hormone family of molecules, have a broad set of functions that interact with OT. Interactions among these molecules have roles in the causes and consequence of social behaviour and the management of threat, fear and stress. Here, we discuss emerging evidence suggesting that unique properties of the OT system allowed vertebrates, and especially mammals, to manage over-reactivity to the 'side effects' of oxygen, including inflammation, oxidation and free radicals, while also supporting high levels of sociality and a perception of safety. This article is part of the theme issue 'Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours'.
催产素（OT）及其受体在我们目前对哺乳动物进化、生存、社会性和繁殖的理解中占据着重要地位。本综述探讨了这样一种假设，即许多归因于 OT 的功能可以追溯到早期地球的条件，包括与在氧气和其他基本元素（包括硫）存在下管理生命相关的挑战。OT 通过对线粒体的影响来调节氧化应激和炎症。一种相关的九肽，加压素，以及下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴中的分子，包括促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素家族的分子，具有广泛的相互作用的功能与 OT。这些分子之间的相互作用在社会行为的原因和后果以及威胁、恐惧和压力的管理中发挥作用。在这里，我们讨论了一些新出现的证据，这些证据表明，OT 系统的独特特性使脊椎动物，特别是哺乳动物，能够控制对氧气“副作用”的过度反应，包括炎症、氧化和自由基，同时也支持高水平的社会性和安全感。本文是主题为“催产素和其他神经调质在塑造复杂社会行为中的相互作用”的一部分。
