Microbial lysate upregulates host oxytocin.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Randomized controlled trial in humans combined with animal mechanistic studies
PubMed 27825953 · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2016.11.002
What was done
Human subjects and mouse models were administered oral *Lactobacillus reuteri* or its sterile lysate to evaluate systemic oxytocin levels and wound healing. In mice, researchers measured oxytocin-producing cells in the hypothalamic caudal paraventricular nucleus, circulating corticosterone levels, and epidermal wound closure rates.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data, effect sizes, or p-values. It qualitatively reports that oral *L. reuteri* improved skin wound repair in humans, and that dietary supplementation with a sterile *L. reuteri* lysate alone increased hypothalamic oxytocin-producing cells and systemic oxytocin, reduced blood corticosterone, and accelerated epidermal closure in mice.
Why it matters
This demonstrates that bacterial viability is not necessary to stimulate host oxytocin secretion or accelerate wound healing, indicating that non-living microbial lysates or metabolites could serve as potential therapeutic agents.
Limits
The abstract omits sample sizes, participant demographics, dosing, intervention duration, effect magnitudes, and variance metrics for both the human trial and animal experiments. Clinical trial design parameters (such as blinding or control groups) are not described in the text.
Cited by
- supports Pulverized, non-viable Lactobacillus reuteri administered in drinking water to animals stimulates the brain to release oxytocin.