Kisspeptin-10

What it is

Kisspeptin-10 is a fragment of the kisspeptin neuropeptide, and it sits at the top of the reproductive hormone axis, upstream of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Researchers describe it as the minimal kisspeptin sequence with full intrinsic bioactivity. It is studied for stimulating natural GnRH and luteinizing hormone (LH) release, and kisspeptin more broadly has been studied for effects on libido and mood.

In the PeptidesAI encyclopedia it is categorized under immune, although its studied role is in the reproductive axis.

How it's thought to work

Kisspeptin-10 activates KISS1R (also called GPR54) on hypothalamic GnRH neurons, stimulating pulsatile GnRH release and downstream LH and FSH. Because this step sits above GnRH, kisspeptin is described as the master upstream regulator of the reproductive endocrine axis.

What the research says

In healthy men, intravenous kisspeptin-10 produced a rapid, dose-dependent rise in LH, and a continuous infusion raised testosterone and increased LH pulse frequency and size. Another study found kisspeptin-10 raised LH and FSH in men and in women during the preovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle, but not in women during the follicular phase. A neuroimaging study at Imperial College London in 29 healthy young men, which used kisspeptin-54 (a longer form, not kisspeptin-10), reported enhanced limbic brain activity in response to sexual and couple-bonding stimuli and reduced negative mood.

Kisspeptin-10 is not FDA-approved. These are small, mechanistic human studies.

Reported side effects

The PeptidesAI encyclopedia lists injection site reactions for kisspeptin-10 in trials and notes that it changes reproductive hormone levels and that long-term data are limited.

Reconstitution

Kisspeptin-10 is supplied as a lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder and is typically reconstituted with bacteriostatic (BAC) water before use. It commonly comes in 5 mg and 10 mg vials. The amount of peptide in the vial is fixed; the water added only changes how concentrated the solution is.

Worked example. A 5 mg vial is 5,000 mcg. Reconstituted with 1 mL of BAC water, that works out to 5,000 mcg ÷ 1 mL = 5,000 mcg/mL. On a U-100 insulin syringe, where each unit is 0.01 mL, each unit holds 5,000 × 0.01 = 50 mcg. Use the peptide reconstitution calculator to work out the concentration and units for any vial size and water volume.

Important notes

Kisspeptin-10 affects reproductive hormone signaling and is not FDA-approved. It is sold only as a research chemical.

Sources

1. Kisspeptin-10 is a potent stimulator of LH and increases pulse frequency in men. George JT et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2011. Human trial
2. The effects of kisspeptin-10 on reproductive hormone release show sexual dimorphism in humans. Jayasena CN et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2011. Human trial
3. Kisspeptin modulates sexual and emotional brain processing in humans. Comninos AN et al. J Clin Invest, 2017. Human trial

How we choose and check sources

Frequently asked questions

These questions cover the same ground as the sections above, in a shorter format.

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