Kisspeptin-10

Kisspeptins are peptides produced from the KISS1 gene, which was first studied as a suppressor of cancer spread in melanoma. In 2001 two groups independently showed that its product is the natural ligand of an orphan receptor, GPR54 (now called KISS1R): a Japanese team isolated a 54-amino-acid form from human placenta and named it metastin ^[1], and a Belgian team isolated 54-, 14- and 13-amino-acid forms and named them kisspeptins ^[2]. All forms share the same final 10 amino acids, and that 10-amino-acid fragment, kisspeptin-10, is the minimal sequence with full activity at the receptor ^[3][8].

The importance of kisspeptin for human reproduction became clear in 2003, when people with inactivating mutations in GPR54 were found to have failed puberty (hypogonadotropic hypogonadism), and mice lacking the receptor showed the same defect ^[4].

Kisspeptin acts on KISS1R receptors on GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus. This triggers GnRH release, which in turn stimulates the pituitary to release luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and these drive testosterone and oestrogen production and ovulation ^[5]. Because it works upstream of GnRH, it depends on the person’s own hypothalamus and pituitary being functional, which is why it is being studied as a diagnostic test.

Kisspeptin-10 is cleared from the blood very quickly. In male mice, its half-life was about 4 minutes compared with about 32 minutes for kisspeptin-54, and repeated kisspeptin-10 injections did not reproduce the sustained LH rise seen after a single kisspeptin-54 dose ^[8].

Kisspeptin research is an active academic field, led largely by groups in London, Edinburgh and Boston. Much of the therapeutic work, such as triggering egg maturation in IVF, uses the longer kisspeptin-54 rather than kisspeptin-10; for example, a phase 2 randomised trial in 62 women at high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome found that a second dose of kisspeptin-54 improved egg yield ^[9]. Results for kisspeptin-54 should not be assumed to apply to kisspeptin-10.

In healthy men, intravenous bolus kisspeptin-10 caused a rapid, dose-dependent rise in LH, greatest at 1 µg/kg, with a smaller response at 3 µg/kg. A 22.5-hour infusion raised LH and testosterone, and a lower-dose infusion increased the frequency and size of LH pulses ^[5].

Responses differ by sex and cycle phase. A 2011 study found that kisspeptin-10 raised LH and FSH in men at doses as low as 0.3 to 1.0 nmol/kg, but in women in the early (follicular) phase of the menstrual cycle it did not change gonadotrophins even at high doses; it did raise them in women in the preovulatory phase ^[6].

A 2026 randomised, single-blinded, placebo-controlled study in healthy men tested longer use. A continuous subcutaneous infusion for five days kept testosterone raised but gonadotrophins returned to placebo levels, while daily eight-hour infusions over 12 days sustained rises in gonadotrophins; the receptor still responded to a bolus at the end ^[7].

These are small physiological studies in volunteers or patients in specialist centres. There are no trials showing kisspeptin-10 improves fertility, libido, testosterone deficiency or body composition as a treatment.

Published human studies used intravenous boluses of 0.01 to 3.0 µg/kg and infusions of 1.5 to 4 µg/kg per hour in men ^[5]; intravenous boluses up to 10 nmol/kg, subcutaneous boluses up to 32 nmol/kg and infusions up to 720 pmol/kg per minute in women ^[6]; and subcutaneous infusions of 150 to 180 nmol per hour in men for 5 to 12 days ^[7]. All were given in supervised research settings; these are not recommended doses.

The published physiological studies did not report serious adverse effects in their abstracts, but they involved small numbers of people over short periods ^[5][6][7]. A known pharmacological issue is that continuous exposure can blunt the gonadotrophin response: in the 2026 study, gonadotrophins returned to placebo levels during a five-day continuous infusion ^[7]. Kisspeptin-10 raises reproductive hormones, so effects on fertility, menstrual cycles and hormone-sensitive conditions cannot be excluded.

The US FDA lists kisspeptin-10 in category 2 of bulk drug substances for pharmacy compounding, meaning substances that may present significant safety risks; its stated concerns are a possible risk of immunogenicity for certain routes of administration and complexities with peptide-related impurities and characterisation (as of April 2026) ^[10].

Kisspeptin-10 is not approved as a medicine in the UK, US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, and we found no approval elsewhere. In the US, its category 2 listing means it should not be used by compounding pharmacies under FDA’s interim policies ^[10]. See our legal status overview and the US and UK pages.

Research kisspeptin-10 is usually sold as a freeze-dried powder. Because it is broken down quickly in the body ^[8], solution stability should not be assumed; see our peptide storage guide.

You can compare prices, learn how to read a COA, and see our list of third-party tested suppliers. For another peptide that acts on sexual function through the brain, see PT-141.