The Role of Oxytocin in Domestic Animal’s Maternal Care: Parturition, Bonding, and Lactation

Abstract

Oxytocin (OXT) is one of the essential hormones in the birth process; however, estradiol, prolactin, cortisol, relaxin, connexin, and prostaglandin are also present. In addition to parturition, the functions in which OXT is also involved in mammals include the induction of maternal behavior, including imprinting and maternal care, social cognition, and affiliative behavior, which can affect allo-parental care. The present article aimed to analyze the role of OXT and the neurophysiologic regulation of this hormone during parturition, how it can promote or impair maternal behavior and bonding, and its importance in lactation in domestic animals.

Changes in salivary oxytocin in response to biologically-relevant events in farm animals: method optimization and usefulness as a biomarker

“…Centrally, oxytocin also plays a critical role in the formation of stable social preferences, or social bonds, the most fundamental of which is the mother-offspring bond (reviewed in Mota-Rojas et al, 2023 ). However studies have so far failed to relate peripheral OXT concentrations in sows to variation in maternal behavior ( Valros et al, 2004 ) or to 15-minute maternal separations ( Hall et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In addition to its actions as a neurotransmitter, OXT can also be released directly into the bloodstream via the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal axis, where it acts as a neurohormone (reviewed in Donaldson and Young, 2008 ). Historically, oxytocin has been associated with its endocrine functions in facilitating female reproduction and lactation (reviewed in Borrow and Cameron, 2012 ; Mota-Rojas et al, 2023 ). However, recent research has highlighted important roles for oxytocin centrally in mediating social interactions with valued partners (reviewed in Donaldson and Young, 2008 ), and providing inhibitory feedback to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to mediate stress responses ( Engelmann et al, 2004 ).…”

“…Given the known role of peripheral oxytocin in inducing smooth muscle contractions during parturition ( Borrow and Cameron, 2012 ), we predicted that sOXT would increase during the birth process in sows and mares. Given the important role of the oxytocinergic system in mediating mother-offspring bonds ( Mota-Rojas et al, 2023 ), we additionally predicted that sOXT would decrease in lactating sows temporarily separated from their offspring.…”

Impact of Melatonin as a Premedication Agent in Caesarean Section on Blood Loss and Postoperative Pain Level

“…The results of in vitro dye spread assays indicate that the cells treated with MEL exhibited a significant enhancement in intercellular coupling. The upregulation of connexin mRNA and intercellular communication was observed to be facilitated by MT2R through a mechanism that is dependent on protein kinase C [ 18 , 19 ]. Melatonin exhibits anti-inflammatory properties that potentially contribute to its analgesic effects.…”

Anatomy and Physiology of Water Buffalo Mammary Glands: An Anatomofunctional Comparison with Dairy Cattle

“…Through these roots, nervous signaling reaches the hypothalamus, specifically, the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. Stimulation of these hypothalamic nuclei causes the release of OXT from its storage site in magnocellular neurons that extend to the neurohypophysis to be consequently released to the systemic circulation [73,74].…”