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 hypothalamic peptide that sits at the top of the reproductive hormone chain. It tells GnRH neurons to fire, which tells the pituitary to release luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, which in turn drive the testes and ovaries. Mutations that disable kisspeptin signalling cause a failure of puberty, which is how its role was discovered in 2003. 5
The KISS1 gene produces a 54-amino-acid peptide that is cut into shorter active fragments; kisspeptin-10 is the ten amino acids at the end that all forms share and that bind 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. Unlike GnRH agonists, which eventually shut the axis down, kisspeptin works one step up and produces a physiological pulse of GnRH. In men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone, an intravenous bolus of kisspeptin-10 raised luteinising hormone about as much as in healthy men, and an 11-hour infusion increased both luteinising hormone pulse frequency and testosterone. 6
Kisspeptin receptors are also found in the limbic brain, the circuits for emotion and reward. Comninos and colleagues showed with functional MRI in 29 healthy men that kisspeptin-54 increased activity in these regions in response to 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, increased penile tumescence in response to erotic videos by up to 56% compared with placebo, and improved self-reported measures of desire and arousal, with larger effects in men more distressed by their low desire. A parallel trial in women reported similar findings. 4
In the diabetes study, five men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone and seven healthy controls received kisspeptin-10. Luteinising hormone roughly doubled after a bolus in both groups, and in four diabetic men a prolonged 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
Across the Imperial College studies, kisspeptin infusions were well tolerated with no serious adverse events at the trial doses. Continuous high exposure in animals can desensitise the receptor and suppress the axis instead of stimulating it, a caution for repeated use. All human data come from supervised intravenous infusions of pharmaceutical-grade peptide; nothing is known about repeated self-injection of research-chemical kisspeptin-10. 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 investigational and have been studied in academic trials, mostly in the UK. No company has filed for approval, and online products are sold as research chemicals. 5
Does kisspeptin raise testosterone?
In small studies, yes. An intravenous bolus of kisspeptin-10 roughly doubled luteinising hormone in men with and without diabetes, and an 11-hour infusion raised testosterone in men with low levels. Whether repeated injections keep working is unknown, since the receptor can desensitise. 65
Does kisspeptin improve libido?
In a 32-man placebo-controlled crossover trial, 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, and it used the 54-amino-acid form. 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 receptor-binding end and was used in the diabetes hormone study, but it is cleared 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