title: Oxytocin in the circadian timing of birth.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The molecular components determining the timing for birth remain an incompletely characterized aspect of reproduction, with important conceptual and therapeutic ramifications for management of preterm, post-term and arrested labor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To test the hypothesis that oxytocin mediates circadian regulation of birth, we evaluated parturition timing following shifts in light cycles in oxytocin (OT)-deficient mice. We find that, in contrast to wild type mice that do not shift the timing of birth following a 6-h advance or delay in the light cycle, OT-deficient mice delivered at random times of day. Moreover, shifts in the light-dark cycle of gravid wild type mice have little impact on the pattern of circadian oxytocin release.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate oxytocin plays a critical role in minimizing labor disruption due to circadian clock resetting.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors: Jeffrey
authors: J
authors: Roizen
authors: Christina E
authors: CE
authors: Luedke
authors: Erik D
authors: ED
authors: Herzog
authors: Louis J
authors: LJ
authors: Muglia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D008027:Light; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin