How oxytocin affects pain and recovery after injury or surgery
Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics Core
['FUNDING_P01'] · WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · NIH-11314602
This project measures how oxytocin dose and blood levels relate to pain relief and healing after tissue injury in both animals and people.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_P01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (WINSTON-SALEM, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11314602 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
From your perspective, researchers will give oxytocin by different routes and measure blood levels and pain responses to map how dose becomes drug in the body and then changes symptoms. They will study how oxytocin acts at injured tissues and in the spinal cord and brain to change acute pain and sensitization. The team will build mathematical models that link dose, blood concentration, and effect so dosing can be more predictable. Work combines animal experiments and human testing, including measurements around surgery or other tissue injuries to see effects on recovery.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be adults facing surgery or with a recent tissue injury and acute pain who can attend clinic visits for dosing, blood draws, and pain testing.
Not a fit: People with long-standing chronic pain not related to recent tissue injury are less likely to benefit from this acute-injury-focused work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better oxytocin-based treatments or dosing rules to reduce acute pain and improve recovery after surgery.
How similar studies have performed: Some animal studies and small human trials have hinted that oxytocin can reduce pain, but this program adds rigorous pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling and direct translation between animals and people.
Where this research is happening
WINSTON-SALEM, UNITED STATES
- WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES — WINSTON-SALEM, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: SHAFER, STEVEN LOUIS — WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- Study coordinator: SHAFER, STEVEN LOUIS
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.