Kisspeptin-10
Reproductive peptide
Also Kisspeptin, Kisspeptin 10, KP-10, KP10, Metastin, Metastin (45-54)
- Evidence
- BSome human evidence
- FDA status
- Not approvedas of 2026-10-26
- Route
- Intravenous
- Studies cited
- 4 human0 animal or cell
It is sold as a way to lift sex drive and testosterone. Small trials raised sex hormones and brain responses, but most used a longer form than the one sold.
Sold for
Kisspeptin-10 is sold as a natural libido and testosterone booster that works upstream of the hormones themselves.
Studies say
In small controlled trials kisspeptin raises luteinising hormone and testosterone and increases sexual brain responses, with the largest trial in 32 men, which earns a B; online products are the 10-amino-acid fragment, while most of the trial evidence used kisspeptin-54.
Why grade B. For stimulating reproductive hormones and sexual response, the use kisspeptin is best known for, there are several small controlled human studies, the largest a 32-man double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial in hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Most of the brain and libido work used kisspeptin-54, the longer natural form; kisspeptin-10 itself has been tested for hormone release in 12 men. Samples are small and endpoints are hormonal or imaging-based, so the grade is B. 4265
FDA. Kisspeptin-10 is not approved by the FDA for any use. Kisspeptin peptides remain investigational, studied mainly at Imperial College London, and are sold online as research chemicals. 5
Written from 6 cited sources. Last refreshed 2026-10-27. Not physician reviewed.
What this means for you
- What people take it for
- Sex drive and testosterone
- Can a US doctor prescribe it?
- No. It is not approved and is sold as a research chemical.
- Properly tested in people?
- Partly: some human trials, with gaps. The largest trial had 32 men, and most used a longer form.
Evidence checklist
- Randomised controlled trial Small double-blind crossover trialsyes
- Human study over 100 people Largest trial 32 men; kisspeptin-10 in 12no
- More than one research group Several studies, mainly one London groupyes
- Clinical outcomes, not surrogate markers Hormone and brain-imaging endpointsno
- Human safety data beyond case reports Supervised infusions only; no self-injection datano
Drawn from the cited studies below. A dash means the sources give no information.
What it is
Kisspeptin is a peptide from the hypothalamus. It sits at the top of the reproductive hormone chain. It tells GnRH neurons to fire. That tells the pituitary to release luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. Those hormones then drive the testes and ovaries. Mutations that disable kisspeptin signalling cause puberty to fail. That is how researchers found its role in 2003. 5
The KISS1 gene makes a peptide of 54 amino acids. The body cuts it into shorter active fragments. Kisspeptin-10 is the last ten amino acids. All the forms share it, and it binds the receptor. Clinical researchers have mostly used kisspeptin-54, which lasts longer in the blood. The research-chemical market sells kisspeptin-10. 56
How it works
Kisspeptin acts on its receptor (KISS1R, formerly GPR54) on GnRH neurons. GnRH agonists eventually shut the axis down. Kisspeptin works one step higher up. It produces a natural pulse of GnRH. In men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone, a quick dose of kisspeptin-10 into a vein raised luteinising hormone about as much as in healthy men. An 11-hour infusion raised both the pulse rate of luteinising hormone and testosterone. 6
Kisspeptin receptors are also found in the limbic brain, the circuits for emotion and reward. Comninos and colleagues used functional MRI in 29 healthy men. Kisspeptin-54 increased activity in these regions when the men saw sexual and couple-bonding images. 23
What human research shows
Mills and colleagues ran a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial in 32 men with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. A kisspeptin-54 infusion increased activity in sexual brain networks on MRI. It also increased penile swelling by up to 56% compared with placebo when the men watched erotic videos. Men reported better desire and arousal. Men who were more distressed by their low desire showed larger effects. A parallel trial in women reported similar findings. 4
In the diabetes study, five men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone received kisspeptin-10. So did seven healthy controls. Luteinising hormone roughly doubled after a bolus in both groups. In four diabetic men, a long infusion raised testosterone from 8.5 to 11.4 nmol/L. 6
| Study | Model | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Mills 2023, men with HSDD | Humans, n=32 men, randomised double-blind placebo-controlled crossover | Kisspeptin-54 increased sexual brain activity, penile tumescence (up to 56%) and reported arousal versus placebo. 4 |
| Comninos 2017, brain processing | Humans, n=29 healthy men, randomised double-blind placebo-controlled crossover fMRI | Kisspeptin-54 increased limbic brain activity in response to sexual and bonding images and reduced negative mood. 2 |
| George 2013, type 2 diabetes | Humans, n=5 hypogonadal men with diabetes and n=7 controls, kisspeptin-10 bolus and infusion | Luteinising hormone roughly doubled after a bolus and testosterone rose during an 11-hour infusion. 6 |
Safety
In the Imperial College studies, men tolerated kisspeptin infusions well. There were no serious adverse events at the trial doses. In animals, constant high exposure can desensitise the receptor. Then it suppresses the axis instead of driving it. That is a caution for repeated use. All human data come from supervised infusions into a vein of pharmaceutical-grade peptide. No one knows what happens when people inject research-chemical kisspeptin-10 again and again. 546
Questions for your clinician
- Do the trials use kisspeptin-10 or the longer kisspeptin-54?
- Could repeated exposure switch off the hormone axis?
- Is there a trial for the use I have in mind?
Questions people ask
Is kisspeptin-10 FDA-approved?
No. Kisspeptin peptides are still in testing. Academic trials, mostly in the UK, have studied them. No company has filed for approval. Online products are sold as research chemicals. 5
Does kisspeptin raise testosterone?
In small studies, yes. A quick dose of kisspeptin-10 into a vein roughly doubled luteinising hormone in men with and without diabetes. An 11-hour infusion raised testosterone in men with low levels. No one knows whether repeated injections keep working, since the receptor can desensitise. 65
Does kisspeptin improve libido?
A trial in 32 men used a placebo and a crossover design. A kisspeptin-54 infusion increased brain responses to erotic material, penile response and reported arousal in men with low sexual desire. That is proof of concept from a single infusion. It used the form with 54 amino acids. 4
Is kisspeptin-10 the same as what was used in the trials?
Mostly no. The libido and brain-imaging trials used kisspeptin-54, the full-length peptide, which lasts longer in the blood. Kisspeptin-10 shares the end that binds the receptor. The diabetes hormone study used it. But the body clears it within minutes. 56
Citations
- World Anti-Doping Agency: prohibited list wada-ama.org
- Comninos 2017, Journal of Clinical Investigation: kisspeptin modulates sexual and emotional brain processing in humans doi.org
- Comninos 2018, JCI Insight: modulations of human resting brain connectivity by kisspeptin doi.org
- Mills 2023, JAMA Network Open: kisspeptin in men with hypoactive sexual desire disorder, randomised crossover trial doi.org
- Patel 2023, Endocrine Reviews: kisspeptin and neurokinin B, review doi.org
- George 2013, Clinical Endocrinology: kisspeptin-10 stimulates testosterone and LH in men with type 2 diabetes pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov