Investigational reproductive peptide
Kisspeptin-10
Prepared by the ezGLP team. Sources last checked . Profile reviewed .
Also known as Metastin (45-54)
Routes represented in the knowledgebase: Subcutaneous (SubQ).
Educational overview
Investigational and not FDA-approved; FDA cites peptide immunogenicity, impurity, and characterization concerns.
Kisspeptin-10 is a ten-amino-acid fragment of kisspeptin, the peptide product of the KISS1 gene, also known as metastin (45-54). Kisspeptins are the natural ligands of the receptor KISS1R (GPR54) on hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, and they sit at the top of the reproductive axis: kisspeptin signalling drives GnRH release, which in turn stimulates pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and hence gonadal testosterone or estradiol. Kisspeptin-10 is the shortest fragment with full receptor activity and is therefore classed as an investigational reproductive neuropeptide rather than a growth hormone secretagogue.
Human evidence comes from academic physiology studies, chiefly at Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh. George and colleagues showed in 2011 that intravenous kisspeptin-10 was a potent stimulator of LH and increased LH pulse frequency in healthy men, and Jayasena and colleagues reported the same year that the LH response differed markedly between men and women and across the menstrual cycle. The longer fragment kisspeptin-54 has been studied as a trigger for oocyte maturation in IVF and as a diagnostic probe, and Mills and colleagues described intranasal kisspeptin in 2025. No kisspeptin product has completed a pivotal trial, and there are no long-term safety data in any population.
Kisspeptin-10 has no marketing approval from the FDA, the EMA, or any comparable regulator and remains a research compound. In the United States it circulates as a compounded or research-labelled injectable, and the FDA lists kisspeptin-10 among bulk drug substances that raise significant safety concerns for compounding, citing possible immunogenicity for certain routes, complexities with peptide-related impurities, and limited safety information. Kisspeptin is not named on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List, although WADA's section S2 covers hormones and releasing factors with similar biological effects, and any resulting testosterone increase in men would be relevant under anti-doping rules.
The compound is supplied as a lyophilised powder that is reconstituted with bacteriostatic or sterile water for subcutaneous injection; research studies have used intravenous infusion or bolus, and nasal administration has been explored experimentally. No approved label exists, so the supplier's or compounding pharmacy's documentation is the only formal reference for storage temperature and beyond-use dating, and stability data for reconstituted solutions are not published. Because kisspeptin's effect on LH is brief and, in women, strongly dependent on menstrual-cycle phase, dose logs for kisspeptin-10 commonly record clock time and cycle day alongside lot number, reconstitution date, concentration produced, and storage conditions.
- Category
- Investigational reproductive peptide
- Routes represented
- Subcutaneous (SubQ)
- Storage context
- Follow the dispensed product or pharmacy label; storage and beyond-use time vary by formulation.
Published literature
No verified PubMed or DOI link is available for this entry.
Safety evidence
Serious or important: potential immunogenicity, aggregation, impurity, or product-quality risks.
A dependable route-specific human interaction and side-effect profile is not established; this is not evidence of no risk.
Safety evidence sourceCommon questions
Is kisspeptin-10 FDA approved?
No. Kisspeptin-10 has never been approved by the FDA or any other national regulator for any indication and has been studied only in academic physiology and early-phase research. The FDA has placed kisspeptin-10 in its category of bulk drug substances that raise significant safety concerns for compounding, citing limited safety information and peptide-impurity and immunogenicity concerns, so compounded kisspeptin products fall outside the conditions under which the agency has said it does not intend to take action.
What does kisspeptin-10 do?
Kisspeptin-10 activates KISS1R receptors on hypothalamic GnRH neurons, causing GnRH release that stimulates pituitary LH and FSH secretion and, downstream, gonadal testosterone or estradiol. In healthy men, George and colleagues found intravenous kisspeptin-10 potently raised LH and increased LH pulse frequency; in women the response varies with menstrual-cycle phase, as Jayasena and colleagues showed. It does not act directly on the pituitary or gonads and does not stimulate growth hormone.
Does kisspeptin raise testosterone in men?
Acutely, yes. Studies in healthy men have shown that kisspeptin-10 infusion increases LH and, secondarily, serum testosterone over the hours following administration. Whether repeated administration produces sustained increases is uncertain, because continuous exposure to kisspeptin has been reported to desensitise the receptor and blunt the LH response in some studies, and men with functioning hypothalamic-pituitary axes have not been studied over the long term.
Is kisspeptin banned by WADA?
Kisspeptin is not listed by name on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List. Section S2 of the list prohibits peptide hormones and releasing factors, and its wording extends to substances with similar chemical structure or biological effects, so a compound that raises endogenous testosterone through gonadotropin release could be treated as prohibited on that basis. Athletes generally rely on their anti-doping organisation's guidance for substances not explicitly named.
Further reading
- George et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2011 (kisspeptin-10 is a potent stimulator of LH in men)
- Jayasena et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2011 (kisspeptin-10 effects show sexual dimorphism in humans)
- Mills et al., EBioMedicine 2025 (intranasal kisspeptin stimulates gonadotropin release in humans)
- FDA, Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks
- FDA, Bulk drug substances nominated for use in compounding under section 503A (category lists)
- World Anti-Doping Agency, The Prohibited List (section S2)
Summarised from published literature for reference only, with citations to the source. Evidence is graded as reported and is not a recommendation to combine, dose, or use any compound.
For personal tracking and education only. Not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and not a medical device. Peptides may be prescription-only or unapproved where you live. Consult a licensed healthcare professional.