PK Sampling After IV Oxytocin and Effects on Sensory Function in Healthy Volunteers

Pharmacokinetics of Intravenous Oxytocin and Effects on Sensory Function in Healthy Volunteers

The primary goal of this protocol is to model change in oxytocin concentrations in plasma after intravenous (IV) administration. Additional measurements will be performed on sensory function that could be influenced by oxytocin during later time periods when blood samples are widely separated by time. This protocol will describe the pharmacokinetics (PK) of intravenous oxytocin in healthy adult men and adult,non-pregnant women. PK samples will be obtained after an injection of intravenous oxytocin 10 IU over 60 seconds.

Blood will be drawn for the PK samples prior to the oxytocin administration and then 11 times after administration.

There are two additional measures which will assess two different aspects of sensory function.

MEASURE 1: Light Touch Frequency Threshold In order to determine the highest frequency that specific nerve fibers can respond to, a simple device that produces an oscillatory / vibratory stimulus will be used on the hand. The subject places fingertips, palm, and palm side of the wrist sequentially and the device is set to slowly decrease the frequency of vibration from 1 kHz until the subject first perceives this. This is repeated three times at each site and takes less than 5 minutes in total. This will be performed before the oxytocin administration and 6 times after the administration of IV Oxytocin.

MEASURE 2: Sustained Heat The surface of the skin of the forearm or leg is heated to 113°F using a computer controlled thermode for a period of 5 minutes. This will be done before the IV Oxytocin and 4 times after the administration. A set of random thermal temperatures (98°F-122°F) will also be applied to the skin of the leg or forearm before the IV Oxytocin administration and 4 times after administration of IV Oxytocin.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Chronic Pain
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Oxytocin

Detailed Description

The primary goal of this protocol is to model change in oxytocin concentrations in plasma after intravenous administration, (oxytocin (Pitocin®), 10 IU) the investigators will also acquire tests of sensory function that could be modulated by oxytocin during later time periods when blood samples are widely separated by time. There are two measures which will assess two different aspects of sensory function.

MEASURE 1: Light Touch Frequency Threshold Light touch is subserved by a group of myelinated peripheral nerves with fast conduction in the Aβ range and which are capable of following high frequencies, being responsible for the sensation of vibration. This capability of individual nerve fibers to respond with high frequency also underlies our ability to sense a light touch moving across the body surface as in brushing.

In preclinical studies investigators have shown that, following injury, these light touch fibers lose their ability to follow high frequencies and, in some cases, no longer respond to mechanical stimulation at all. Oxytocin, when perfused around the neuronal cell bodies of these Aβ nerve fibers, partially restores their function, including their response to high frequency stimulation.

In order to determine the highest frequency that Aβ nerve fibers can respond to, the investigators have created a simple device that produces an oscillatory / vibratory stimulus which can be used on the hand. The subject places fingertips, palm, and volar aspect of the wrist sequentially and the device is set to slowly decrease the frequency of vibration from 1 kilohertz (kHz) until the participant first perceives this. This is repeated three times at each site and takes under 5 minutes in total.

The investigators anticipate that oxytocin will have no effect on normal Aβ fibers and that this measure will not change after oxytocin administration. This will provide important data to contrast with the expected efficacy of oxytocin in the setting of injury, to be studied in subsequent protocols.

MEASURE 2: Sustained Heat As part of a protocol used by the investigators in several studies, the surface of the skin of the forearm or leg is heated to 45°C using a computer-controlled thermode for a period of 5 minutes. This typically results in a slowly increasing pain experience, peaking at 5 minutes in the mild to low moderate range and has been tolerated by more than 150 subjects in studies over the past 14 years.

In an interim analysis of an ongoing clinical study in volunteers, the investigators noted that spinal injection of oxytocin, 15 μg (equivalent to 9 IU), that pain from this sustained heat was dramatically reduced over the 5 minutes of stimulus presentation. In contrast, spinal oxytocin had no effect on the stimulus-response relationship of pain to noxious heat over a 42-50°C range when the stimuli were presented for only 5 seconds. These data suggest that oxytocin reduces C-fiber mediated signaling of sustained heat pain, likely through a spinal site of action.

Drugs administered spinally have a much higher concentration in cerebrospinal fluid than plasma. Nonetheless, spinally administered drugs are typically absorbed to an extent and with a time course similar to that after intramuscular injection, and it is conceivable that the effect on sustained heat pain investigators are seeing in the spinal study reflect peripheral effects via systemic absorption. Thus, if the investigators see a similar reduction in response to sustained heat in this protocol of intravenous administration, the investigators will conclude that oxytocin is more likely activating peripherally than spinally.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 11
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27157
      • Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 60 years (ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female > 18 and < 60 years of age, Body Mass Index (BMI) <40.
• Generally in good health as determined by the Principal Investigator based on prior medical history, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II
• Normal blood pressure (systolic 90-140 mmHg; diastolic 50-90 mmHg) resting heart rate 45-100 beats per minute) without medication
• Female subjects of child-bearing potential and those < 1 year post-menopausal, must be practicing highly effective methods of birth control such as hormonal methods

Exclusion Criteria:

• Hypersensitivity, allergy, or significant reaction to any ingredient of Pitocin®
• Any disease, diagnosis, or condition (medical or surgical) that, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, would place the subject at increased risk (active gynecologic disease in which increased tone would be detrimental e.g., uterine fibroids with ongoing bleeding), compromise the subject's compliance with study procedures, or compromise the quality of the data
• Women who are pregnant (positive result for serum pregnancy test at screening visit), women who are currently nursing or lactating, women that have been pregnant within 2 years
• Subjects with neuropathy, chronic pain, diabetes mellitus, or taking benzodiazepines or pain medications on a daily basis.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Allocation: NA
• Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
OTHER: Oxytocin (Pitocin®), 10 IU; Oxytocin 10 IU administered once per intravenous injection	Drug: Oxytocin; Single IV administration of oxytocin; Other Names: Pitocin

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	2 minutes
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	5 minutes
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	10 minutes
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	15 minutes
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	30 minutes
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	45 minutes
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	60 minutes
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	90 minutes
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	120 minutes
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	180 minutes
Oxytocin Concentration	Plasma concentrations of oxytocin at defined times after intravenous infusion	240 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Light Touch Frequency Threshold	The frequency at which the vibration is perceived after intravenous oxytocin administration	5 minutes
Light Touch Frequency Threshold	The frequency at which the vibration is perceived after intravenous oxytocin administration	20 minutes
Light Touch Frequency Threshold	The frequency at which the vibration is perceived after intravenous oxytocin administration	45 minutes
Light Touch Frequency Threshold	The frequency at which the vibration is perceived after intravenous oxytocin administration	60 minutes
Light Touch Frequency Threshold	The frequency at which the vibration is perceived after intravenous oxytocin administration	120 minutes
Light Touch Frequency Threshold	The frequency at which the vibration is perceived after intravenous oxytocin administration	180 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	31 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	32 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	33 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	34 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	35 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	61 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	62 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	63 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	64 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	65 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	121 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	122 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	123 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	124 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	125 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	181 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	182 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	183 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	184 minutes
Sustained Heat	0-10 verbal pain score to a 45 degree Celsius stimulus after intravenous oxytocin administration; higher score denotes worse outcome.	185 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Wake Forest University Health Sciences
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: James Eisenach, MD, Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): May 10, 2019
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): March 1, 2020
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): March 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 24, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 24, 2019
• First Posted (ACTUAL): April 26, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): May 13, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 16, 2021
• Last Verified: July 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Chronic Pain; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Reproductive Control Agents; Oxytocics; Oxytocin
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB00056413

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes