Kisspeptin-10

What is Kisspeptin-10?

It is the amidated ten-amino-acid fragment YNWNSFGLRF-NH2 from the human KISS1 precursor. It activates the kisspeptin receptor, KISS1R, which sits upstream of the reproductive hormone pathway.^1665,1666

Why do papers call it kisspeptin 112-121 or metastin 45-54?

These names number the same ten-amino-acid fragment from different starting points. Kisspeptin 112-121 uses the full precursor sequence; metastin 45-54 uses the longer mature peptide. Matching the sequence helps separate exact Kisspeptin-10 from other forms.^1666,1667

Is it interchangeable with Kisspeptin-54?

No. Both activate KISS1R, but their lengths, breakdown and studied exposures differ. A direct study found similar gonadotropin stimulation at its tested intravenous doses; the fertility and sexual-function findings still belong to the peptide used in each trial.^{1668,1669,1670}

Does a label saying 10 mg identify the peptide form?

A mass label states an amount; it does not identify the amino-acid sequence. The name Kisspeptin-10 refers to a ten-amino-acid fragment. Exact identity, purity and sterility require product-specific evidence.^{1665,1666,1671}

Human research

What has it done in people?

It has stimulated LH and, depending on the study conditions, FSH and testosterone. Human experiments include single doses, hour-long infusions and small repeated-exposure studies lasting up to 12 days. The clearest findings concern hormone responses.^{1672,1673,1674}

Does it raise testosterone?

Testosterone rose in selected studies of healthy men and men with type 2 diabetes and mild biochemical hypogonadism. In the 12-day subcutaneous study, the testosterone change versus vehicle was significant on day 1, but not on days 8 or 12.^{1672,1675,1674}

What did the 24-hour infusion show?

Three healthy men received a continuous intravenous infusion. LH rose, then fell by 13-47% from its peak while remaining above baseline at the end. FSH and testosterone also rose; the researchers reported individual time courses without inferential statistics.¹⁶⁶⁷

What changed in the five-day and 12-day studies?

Continuous subcutaneous infusion for five days produced waning LH and FSH responses. Daily eight-hour infusions over 12 days retained significant LH and FSH responses. Testosterone change versus vehicle was significant only on day 1.¹⁶⁷⁴

How many men were in that subcutaneous study?

Fifteen overall. The three parts reported seven, four and seven participants, so some men took part in more than one part. Twelve men had vehicle-control visits within that group; adding all parts and control visits would inflate the participant count.¹⁶⁷⁴

Does it improve libido or erections?

The cited exact Kisspeptin-10 studies do not establish a treatment benefit. The best-known randomized studies of sexual brain responses and penile tumescence used Kisspeptin-54; the exact Kisspeptin-10 studies mainly tested hormone physiology.^{1676,1670,1674}

Have mood, energy or fatigue improved in trials?

Controlled improvement in these symptoms has not been established for exact Kisspeptin-10. The repeated-exposure experiments measured LH, FSH and testosterone rather than mood, fatigue or quality of life.^1667,1674

Does it improve sperm production or pregnancy rates?

Those outcomes remain unestablished for exact Kisspeptin-10. Some human studies measured reproductive hormones and one posted registry result measured follicle growth.^1677,1674

Does it improve IVF outcomes?

The IVF egg-maturation trial cited here used Kisspeptin-54. Exact Kisspeptin-10 pregnancy and live-birth outcomes remain unestablished.¹⁶⁶⁹

What does the posted follicle-growth result show?

NCT02956447 reports follicle growth in three of five analyzed subcutaneous participants over eight days. Thirty-six people enrolled in the protocol overall; five provided that follicle-growth analysis.¹⁶⁷⁷

What did studies in women with high prolactin find?

An early two-woman infusion study increased reproductive hormone measures. A later study in 11 women increased LH pulses and shortened the interval between pulses, while FSH and prolactin did not significantly change. The response helps describe the pathway under prolactin-related suppression.^1678,1679

What did the PCOS study measure?

Fifteen women took part in a small study with and without neurokinin-3 receptor blockade. Kisspeptin-10 increased LH; the FSH response depended on the pretreatment group. The study examined hormone regulation rather than pregnancy or symptom improvement.¹⁶⁸⁰

Do women respond differently across the menstrual cycle?

Yes. Responses varied between early follicular, preovulatory and luteal phases. One bolus study produced immediate LH pulses in all preovulatory and luteal participants, but only half of early-follicular participants at the tested dose.^1673,1681

Do hormonal contraceptives or menopause change the response?

They can. A 24-woman experiment compared early-follicular women, postmenopausal women, combined-pill users and progestogen-implant users. LH responses differed across these groups, and FSH stimulation was detected only in the postmenopausal group.¹⁶⁸²

Why has it been studied in delayed puberty?

Researchers used a kisspeptin stimulation test to probe the reproductive pathway. In a 16-youth follow-up, strong and absent LH responses were associated with different later pubertal outcomes. This was a prediction study, with substantial overlap with an earlier cohort.^1683,1684

What comparisons with hCG, hMG or enclomiphene exist?

The cited direct human comparison tested Kisspeptin-10, Kisspeptin-54 and GnRH in ten healthy men. GnRH produced stronger gonadotropin stimulation at the studied exposures. Clinical superiority over hCG, hMG or enclomiphene remains unestablished in the cited Kisspeptin-10 evidence.¹⁶⁶⁸

Can it restore signaling during or after TRT?

No cited study tested a post-TRT recovery regimen. Studies in healthy men and men with diabetes measured hormone stimulation, leaving the TRT-specific benefit open.^{1672,1675,1674}

What is known about combining it with other hormone treatments?

Some mechanistic experiments combined a Kisspeptin-10 challenge with neurokinin-3 receptor blockade or estrogen-related study conditions. Those designs answer specific pathway questions. Controlled efficacy and safety of retail combinations with TRT, hCG or SERMs remain unestablished.^{1685,1686,1680}

Which administration routes have been studied in humans?

Both intravenous and subcutaneous administration have been studied. Earlier work included subcutaneous boluses in women; the 2026 report studied subcutaneous pump infusions in healthy men.^1673,1674

What happened after the 24-hour infusion stopped?

LH remained above baseline during the six-hour follow-up in all three men. Only one had a detectable LH pulse during that window. The observation describes short follow-up after a research infusion.¹⁶⁶⁷

Which blood measurements did researchers use?

Most reproductive studies measured LH, FSH and testosterone; some also measured estradiol, progesterone, prolactin or other study-specific markers. Frequent sampling helped characterize hormone pulses. A single isolated blood result describes less of that time course.^{1667,1674,1679}

What did the glucose pilot find?

Nine participants completed the crossover glucose analysis in NCT04958109. Mean OGIS values were 517 and 521 under the two conditions, with no posted inferential comparison.¹⁶⁸⁷

Did the oxytocin finding establish a sexual benefit?

The study measured a short-term blood oxytocin response in 12 adults. A vasopressin report used the same people and administration, so these are two reports from one cohort. They assessed circulating hormones rather than sexual-function improvement.^1688,1689

Mechanism and preclinical findings

How does Kisspeptin-10 affect reproductive hormones?

Kisspeptin-10 activates KISS1R, which can stimulate GnRH release and downstream LH and FSH secretion. The human studies measured the resulting hormone changes. The response depends on the state of the pathway and the exposure used.^1672,1667

Can it bypass a nonfunctioning pituitary or gonad?

The cited experiments do not establish that capability. In four people with neurokinin-B signaling defects, Kisspeptin-10 restored or increased LH pulses through a responsive downstream pathway. That finding is specific to the studied defect and participants.¹⁶⁹⁰

Does stimulation fade with continued exposure?

It can. The three-man 24-hour infusion showed a partial decline from peak LH, and the five-day subcutaneous study showed waning responses. The 12-day intermittent study retained LH and FSH responses; continuous and intermittent exposures produced different response patterns.^1667,1674

How long does the peptide stay in the bloodstream?

The twelve-day paper cites an approximately four-minute human half-life from an earlier study, whose original pharmacokinetic method was unavailable in the cited sources. The peptide can disappear from blood while downstream hormone effects continue.^1673,1674

What do the Chinese, Korean and Indian human papers add?

They measured naturally occurring kisspeptin signals in pregnancy or puberty. These observational cohorts help describe associations and possible diagnostic markers. Their assay labels leave uncertainty about which circulating peptide forms were detected.^{1691,1692,1693}

What did the Russian studies test?

The accessible Russian studies used rats or mice, often with intranasal or intraperitoneal exposure. They examined behavior, stress-related hormones or barrier-related hypotheses. The records come largely from one institute network and include preparation and unit-reporting gaps.^{1694,1695,1696}

Is there evidence for bone or cancer treatment?

The cited findings come from cell and animal experiments. A Korean study examined osteoblast signaling in murine cells, and a US-China study examined angiogenesis in experimental models. Neither study measured human treatment benefit for those outcomes.^1697,1698

Safety and preparation

What side effects did the human studies report?

Several small reports described no adverse events or side effects during their study windows. Reporting was uneven: the 2026 24-hour and repeated subcutaneous studies gave no adverse-event outcomes.^{1690,1678,1689,1667,1674}

Were any serious events posted in the registries?

NCT04648969 reports one rhabdomyolysis event after study visits. Its safety population included 18 enrolled people, of whom 11 never initiated treatment; seven completed the study. The event entry did not attribute causation to Kisspeptin-10.¹⁶⁹⁹

What does the FDA adverse-event search show?

The named queries returned one unique spontaneous report involving a suspect product labelled Kisspeptin-10. It listed weight and oestrone increases. Such reports record suspected associations without establishing causation, product contents or an event rate.¹⁷⁰⁰

Has safety during pregnancy or long-term use been established?

Those safety questions remain open for exact Kisspeptin-10. The human exposure studies are small and short-term, including the newer 12-day work. Pregnancy biomarker papers describe endogenous measurements rather than the safety of administering the peptide.^1674,1691

Why does FDA flag compounded Kisspeptin-10?

FDA identifies concerns involving immune reactions, aggregation, peptide impurities, active-ingredient characterization and limited route-specific safety information. The May 2026 category document still lists it in 503A Category 2. The category describes the agency's compounding review status.^1671,1701

Are research preparations and retail vials equivalent?

The clinical papers describe study-specific peptide preparation, testing and monitored administration. They do not document a retail vial's identity, purity, sterility or handling.^{1667,1674,1671}

What did Health Canada warn about?

In April 2025, Health Canada listed Kisspeptin-10 among unauthorized injectable peptide products seized from one Calgary wellness centre. The agency said the named products had not been assessed for safety, efficacy and quality.¹⁷¹⁰

Approval and sport

Is Kisspeptin-10 an FDA-approved treatment?

No approved product was identified in the dated FDA drug and label queries. FDA's compounding category and investigational trial records are separate administrative records. The approval finding is specific to the searched U.S. sources.^1702,1701

Why do some registry entries say phase 3?

Three small Kisspeptin-10 physiology protocols use that phase label. Their registry enrollment figures are 30, 14 and 15.^{1703,1704,1705}

Is it prohibited in sport?

The 2026 WADA list includes kisspeptin and its agonist analogues under testosterone-stimulating peptides in males, prohibited at all times. The published 2027 list retains that wording and takes effect on January 1, 2027.^1706,1707

What did the FDA committee decide in 2024?

The October 2024 advisory committee voted 0 yes, 11 no and 0 abstentions on placing Kisspeptin-10 on the 503A Bulks List. Its stated reason was the lack of convincing safety and efficacy data.^1708,1709