Oxytocin demonstrates context-dependent analgesic effects in acute pain, with mild adverse events across routes.

Managing acute pain remains a significant challenge, often relying on conventional analgesics with potential side effects and risks of dependence. While basic science suggests oxytocin (OT) plays a substantial role in minimizing acute pain, its clinical utility and optimal application in human pain management are less clear. There's a critical gap in understanding OT's antinociceptive effectiveness, appropriate dosing, and safety profile across various acute pain contexts, hindering its integration as a non-opioid alternative or adjunct.

This systematic review, adhering to PRISMA guidelines, examined oxytocin's role in acute pain management. Researchers searched Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for studies published between 2014 and 2024. Data extraction focused on the route of administration, analgesic dosing, indications, side effects, and target populations. A total of ten studies were included in the synthesis, providing a comprehensive overview of OT's clinical and experimental application in acute pain.

Oxytocin's analgesic effects were found to be highly context-dependent, showing variability across different acute pain scenarios. Several studies reported significant pain reduction in experimental paradigms, such as the cold pressor test. Various administration routes were investigated, including intranasal delivery at doses of 24-40IU, intrathecal, intravenous, and subcutaneous methods, often chosen with safety considerations in mind. The review highlighted that reported adverse effects were generally mild across the included studies, suggesting a favorable safety profile for oxytocin. This indicates OT functions more as a modulator of pain perception rather than a universal analgesic. > Oxytocin consistently reduced pain in experimental models like the cold pressor test, demonstrating its antinociceptive potential in specific acute pain contexts.