Data edition of
Residue An evidence-graded reference for peptide science

Monograph in Regulatory peptides

Kisspeptin-10

The shortest fully active form of kisspeptin, a hypothalamic hormone that switches on the reproductive axis. Human studies are small physiology experiments measuring hormone responses.

Also called KP-10 · Metastin (45-54)

B

Best evidence: Randomized human trials

Small human physiology studies, including a 2026 randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study in 15 men; endpoints are hormone levels, not clinical outcomes.

Not FDA-approved · FDA compounding Category 2 (503A)

Residue Editorial Team · updated

What is Kisspeptin-10?

Kisspeptin-10 is the minimal kisspeptin sequence with full intrinsic bioactivity; kisspeptins stimulate GnRH and thus LH and FSH secretion1PubMedKisspeptin-10 is a potent stimulator of LH and increases pulse frequency in men. George JT et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011.. In healthy men, intravenous boluses raised LH within 30 minutes, and infusions raised testosterone and LH pulse frequency1. Women respond differently depending on cycle phase and sex steroids2PubMedThe effects of kisspeptin-10 on reproductive hormone release show sexual dimorphism in humans. Jayasena CN et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011.,3PubMedKisspeptin-10 stimulation of gonadotrophin secretion in women is modulated by sex steroid feedback. George JT et al. Hum Reprod. 2012.. FDA placed Kisspeptin-10 in compounding Category 2 in September 20234FDACertain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. U.S. FDA, content current as of 04/22/2026..

PubMed records
31713 reviews
Trial publications
95 tagged RCT
Registered studies
365 active · 3 phase 3
Molecular weight
1,302.4g/mol · PubChem
Evidence grade
BRandomized human trials

Key findings

  1. IV bolus in healthy men raised LH from 4.1 to 12.4 IU/L at 30 minutes at the maximal 1 µg/kg; 3 µg/kg gave a smaller response1.
  2. A 22.5-hour infusion at 4 µg/kg/h raised testosterone from 16.6 to 24.0 nmol/L1.
  3. Healthy women in the follicular phase showed no gonadotropin response even at high doses, but women in the preovulatory phase did2.
  4. In 2026, daily 8-hour subcutaneous infusions sustained LH increases over 12 days in healthy men, while continuous infusion for 5 days did not5PubMedChronic subcutaneous kisspeptin-10 stimulates gonadotropin secretion for 12 days in healthy men. Yeung AC et al. Eur J Endocrinol. 2026..
  5. FDA added Kisspeptin-10 to Category 2 for 503A compounding on September 29, 2023, citing immunogenicity risk and limited safety information4.

Written by Residue Editorial Team

Reviewed by Residue Editorial Team · source-by-source check,

First published

Last updated

Registry data · How we grade · Markdown + sources

What is Kisspeptin-10, chemically?

Identifiers retrieved from PubChem.
PubChem CID25240297 “Kisspeptin-10”
FormulaC63H83N17O14
Molecular weight1,302.4 g/mol
CAS (as listed)374675-21-5
FDA UNIIFS1N52VS3S
InChIKeyRITKWYDZSSQNJI-INXYWQKQSA-N
Length10 residues
Route in trialsIntravenous or subcutaneous (research infusions and boluses)
MechanismKisspeptin receptor (KISS1R) agonist; stimulates hypothalamic GnRH release
  • Hydrophobic
  • Polar
  • Basic (+)
  • Gly / Pro / Cys
Figure 1. Residue sequence of Kisspeptin-10 (10 positions) as recorded in PubChem CID 25240297 — H-Tyr-Asn-Trp-Asn-Ser-Phe-Gly-Leu-Arg-Phe-NH2.

What is kisspeptin-10?

Kisspeptins are hypothalamic peptides critical to human reproductive physiology2. Kisspeptin-10 is the minimal sequence with full intrinsic bioactivity1. PubChem lists the sequence YNWNSFGLRF and the synonym metastin 45-546PubChemPubChem compound record: Kisspeptin-10. C63H83N17O14 · MW 1302.4 g/mol..

How does kisspeptin-10 work?

Kisspeptins stimulate gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and thus the pituitary's release of LH and FSH1. Animal work suggests kisspeptin integrates metabolic signals with the reproductive axis7PubMedExploring the pathophysiology of hypogonadism in men with type 2 diabetes: kisspeptin-10 stimulates serum testosterone and LH secretion in men with type 2 diabetes and mild biochemical hypogonadism. George JT et al. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2013., and in women its effect depends on sex-steroid feedback, with the pituitary an important site of estrogen feedback3.

What have studies found?

Men. In the first human dose-response study, intravenous boluses produced a rapid, dose-dependent LH rise, maximal at 1 µg/kg. Infusion raised LH pulse frequency, pulse size and testosterone1. A 2026 randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study found daily 8-hour subcutaneous infusions sustained higher LH for 12 days, whereas gonadotropins returned to vehicle levels during 5 days of continuous infusion5.

Women. Healthy women in the follicular phase did not respond at doses that worked in men, but preovulatory women did2. Postmenopausal women had larger LH and FSH responses, and women on the combined pill had none3.

Disorders. In men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone, an 11-hour infusion raised LH pulse frequency and testosterone7. In two women with hyperprolactinemic amenorrhea, a 12-hour infusion reactivated gonadotropin secretion8PubMedHypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian Axis Reactivation by Kisspeptin-10 in Hyperprolactinemic Women With Chronic Amenorrhea. Millar RP et al. J Endocr Soc. 2017..

Registered trials. ClinicalTrials.gov lists phase 1 and 2 studies of kisspeptin in reproductive disorders, alongside observational studies of natural levels9TrialClinicalTrials.gov registry search: kisspeptin-10 OR kisspeptin. 36 registered studies at fetch..

Is Kisspeptin-10 FDA-approved?

Table 1. Regulatory status of Kisspeptin-10 in the United States — from Drugs@FDA (openFDA) and FDA’s bulk-substance compounding categories, as fetched.
RecordStatusSource
FDA approval No approved application Drugs@FDA returned no application for “Kisspeptin-10”. openFDA
Compounding: Category 2
Kisspeptin-10		 503A category 2 since September 29, 2023
“Compounded drugs containing Kisspeptin-10 may pose risk for immunogenicity for certain routes of administration and may have complexities with regard to peptide-related impurities and API characterization. FDA has no, or only limited, safety-related information for the proposed routes of administration. Therefore, the agency lacks sufficient information to know whether the drug would cause harm when administered to humans.”		 4

FDA lists Kisspeptin-10 in Category 2 for 503A compounding, added on September 29, 2023. It cites possible immunogenicity, impurity and characterization complexities, and no or only limited safety information for the proposed routes, so FDA lacks sufficient information to know whether it would cause harm in humans4.

What is still unknown?

  • Clinical outcomes such as fertility; published endpoints are hormone levels5.
  • Long-term dosing. The longest protocol we found ran 12 days5.

What effects has Kisspeptin-10 shown, by body system?

Each row is graded separately using the Residue evidence scale: a compound can carry an A for one use and a D for another.

Table 2. Research-observed effects of Kisspeptin-10 by body system, with the strongest evidence available for each.
SystemWhat was observedGrade
LH and testosterone (men)Dose-dependent LH, FSH and testosterone increases with IV and SC dosing, sustained for 12 days with intermittent infusion1,5. B
Gonadotropins (women)Response depends on cycle phase and sex-steroid exposure2,3. C
Hypogonadism in type 2 diabetesRaised LH pulse frequency and testosterone in 4–5 men7. C
Hyperprolactinemic amenorrheaReactivated gonadotropin secretion in 2 women8. C

How much research is there on Kisspeptin-10?

01326 2004: 3 records 2004 2005: 7 records 2005 2006: 10 records 2007: 10 records 2008: 16 records 2009: 26 records 2010: 24 records 2010 2011: 19 records 2012: 14 records 2013: 15 records 2014: 19 records 2015: 14 records 2015 2016: 15 records 2017: 26 records 2018: 22 records 2019: 16 records 2020: 19 records 2020 2021: 13 records 2022: 20 records 2023: 11 records 2024: 10 records 2025: 21 records 2025 2026: 22 records (year to date) 2026
Figure 2. PubMed records per publication year matching ("kisspeptin-10"[tiab] OR "kisspeptin 10"[tiab]) — 317 in total; peak 26 in 2009. The 2026 bar is year-to-date (hatched). Volume of literature is not evidence of efficacy. Run this query on PubMed.
Registered studies of Kisspeptin-10 by phase and status
PhaseStudiesBreakdown
Phase 1 11
7 completed, 1 active or recruiting, 3 stopped, 0 other
Phase 2 8
3 completed, 2 active or recruiting, 3 stopped, 0 other
Phase 3 3
3 completed, 0 active or recruiting, 0 stopped, 0 other
Not applicable 3
2 completed, 1 active or recruiting, 0 stopped, 0 other
Observational 11
8 completed, 1 active or recruiting, 0 stopped, 2 other
Figure 3. 36 studies on ClinicalTrials.gov match the registry search kisspeptin-10 OR kisspeptin. Multi-phase studies are counted at their highest phase. Open the full trial feed

Compare and continue

Questions readers ask

Is kisspeptin-10 FDA-approved?

No. Drugs@FDA returned no application, and FDA placed Kisspeptin-10 in Category 2 for 503A compounding on September 29, 20234.

Does kisspeptin-10 raise testosterone?

In small studies of healthy men, infusions raised testosterone along with LH1,5, and an infusion raised testosterone in men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone7. These are short hormone studies, not treatment trials.

What is kisspeptin-10?

It is the 10-amino-acid form of kisspeptin, the shortest with full intrinsic activity1. PubChem lists it as metastin 45-546.

Why do women respond differently to kisspeptin-10?

In studies, women in the early follicular phase showed little or no gonadotropin response, while preovulatory and postmenopausal women responded more, suggesting sex-steroid feedback shapes the response2,3.

References

Every source below was retrieved from its official API or page and cached on the data-edition date. Numbers match the margin notes.

  1. 1 PubMed George JT, Veldhuis JD, Roseweir AK, et al. Kisspeptin-10 is a potent stimulator of LH and increases pulse frequency in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2011. PMID 21632807; doi:10.1210/jc.2011-0089.
  2. 2 PubMed Jayasena CN, Nijher GM, Comninos AN, et al. The effects of kisspeptin-10 on reproductive hormone release show sexual dimorphism in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2011. PMID 21976724; doi:10.1210/jc.2011-1408.
  3. 3 PubMed George JT, Anderson RA, Millar RP. Kisspeptin-10 stimulation of gonadotrophin secretion in women is modulated by sex steroid feedback. Hum Reprod 2012. PMID 22956346; doi:10.1093/humrep/des326.
  4. 4 FDA Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. U.S. FDA, content current as of 04/22/2026.
  5. 5 PubMed Yeung AC, Phylactou M, Koysombat K, et al. Chronic subcutaneous kisspeptin-10 stimulates gonadotropin secretion for 12 days in healthy men. Eur J Endocrinol 2026. PMID 42549827; doi:10.1093/ejendo/lvag134.
  6. 6 PubChem PubChem compound record: Kisspeptin-10. C63H83N17O14 · MW 1302.4 g/mol.
  7. 7 PubMed George JT, Veldhuis JD, Tena-Sempere M, et al. Exploring the pathophysiology of hypogonadism in men with type 2 diabetes: kisspeptin-10 stimulates serum testosterone and LH secretion in men with type 2 diabetes and mild biochemical hypogonadism. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2013. PMID 23153270; doi:10.1111/cen.12103.
  8. 8 PubMed Millar RP, Sonigo C, Anderson RA, et al. Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian Axis Reactivation by Kisspeptin-10 in Hyperprolactinemic Women With Chronic Amenorrhea. J Endocr Soc 2017. PMID 29264460; doi:10.1210/js.2017-00328.
  9. 9 ClinicalTrials.gov ClinicalTrials.gov registry search: kisspeptin-10 OR kisspeptin. 36 registered studies at fetch.