Marital behavior, oxytocin, vasopressin, and wound healing

Abstract

Animal studies have implicated oxytocin and vasopressin in social bonding, physiological stress responses, and wound healing. In humans, endogenous oxytocin and vasopressin levels covary with perceptions of relationship quality, marital behaviors, and physiological stress responses. To investigate relationships among marital behavior, oxytocin, vasopressin, and wound healing, and to determine the characteristics of individuals with the highest neuropeptide levels, 37 couples were admitted for a 24-h visit in a hospital research unit. After small blister wounds were created on their forearm, couples participated in a structured social support interaction task. Blister sites were monitored daily following discharge to assess wound repair speed. Blood samples were collected for oxytocin, vasopressin, and cytokine analyses. Higher oxytocin levels were associated with more positive communication behaviors during the structured interaction task. Furthermore, individuals in the upper oxytocin quartile healed blister wounds faster than participants in lower oxytocin quartiles. Higher vasopressin levels were related to fewer negative communication behaviors and greater tumor necrosis factor-alpha production. Moreover, women in the upper vasopressin quartile healed the experimental wounds faster than the remainder of the sample. These data confirm and extend prior evidence implicating oxytocin and vasopressin in couples' positive and negative communication behaviors, and also provide further evidence of their role in an important health outcome, wound healing.

Figure 1

Plasma oxytocin distribution as a function of sex. Both oxytocin and vasopressin measurements were averaged using the baseline and post-interaction task samples

Figure 2

Plasma vasopressin distribution as a function of sex. Both oxytocin and vasopressin measurements were averaged using the baseline and post-interaction task samples

Figure 3

Couple's Positive Behavior As a Function of Oxytocin (OT) and Vasopressin (AVP) Levels. Both oxytocin and vasopressin measurements were averaged using the baseline and post-interaction task samples. For illustration purposes, each peptide variable was dichotomized using a cut-off at the 75^th percentile. Errors bars represent the standard error.

Figure 4

Couple's Negative Behavior As a Function of Oxytocin (OT) and Vasopressin (AVP) Levels. Both oxytocin and vasopressin measurements were averaged using the baseline and post-interaction task samples. For illustration purposes, each peptide variable was dichotomized using a cut-off at the 75^th percentile. Errors bars represent the standard error.

Figure 5

Plasma tumor necrosis factor-α across the CRC visit as a function of plasma vasopressin levels. Vasopressin measurements were averaged using the baseline and post-interaction task samples. Plasma sample were collected at baseline, 4, 7, and 22 hours later. For illustration purposes, the vasopressin variable was dichotomized using a cut-off at the 75^th percentile. Errors bars represent the standard error.

Figure 6

Kaplan-Meier survival curves for time to healing of the standard wound by high- and low- oxytocin groups. Oxytocin measurements were averaged using the baseline and post-interaction task samples. High- and low- oxytocin groups are based on a 75/25 percentile split.

Figure 7

Kaplan-Meier survival curves for time to healing of the standard wound by high- and low- vasopressin groups and sex. Both oxytocin and vasopressin measurements were averaged using the baseline and post-interaction task samples High- and low-vasopressin groups are based on a 75/25 percentile split.