Trinity compound research profile
Kisspeptin-10
Kisspeptin-10 is a small, lab-made piece (fragment) of a longer natural hormone called kisspeptin, which your brain makes to help control puberty and...
Research overview
Kisspeptin-10 is a small, lab-made piece (fragment) of a longer natural hormone called kisspeptin, which your brain makes to help control puberty and reproduction. It's a chain of just 10 amino acids (protein building blocks), which is why it's called kisspeptin-"10" (PubChem). Scientists discovered how important the full-length hormone is after finding that people born without a working receptor for it never went through puberty (de Roux et al., PNAS 2003).
Mechanism under study
Kisspeptin-10 is like the very first domino in a chain reaction that leads to reproductive hormones being released. It tells a specific set of brain cells to release GnRH, which then tells the pituitary gland to release LH and FSH — the hormones that control testosterone, estrogen, and fertility. In studies, a single injection could double LH levels in men within about 30 minutes (Jayasena et al., JCEM 2011).
Human evidence summary
In healthy men, injecting kisspeptin-10 reliably raised LH at every dose tested, and testosterone rose at some doses too, with effects peaking around 30-40 minutes after the shot (Jayasena et al., JCEM 2011). Interestingly, the same shot did almost nothing in women during one part of their monthly cycle but did work during another part — showing the hormone system responds very differently depending on timing and sex. Separately, a related but longer-lasting version of the hormone (kisspeptin-54, not the same as kisspeptin-10) successfully triggered egg release in 95% of women during a fertility study, with a lower risk of ovarian overstimulation than usual (Abbara et al., JCEM 2015). Direct proof for kisspeptin-10 itself as an actual treatment (rather than just a research tool) is still limited.
Preclinical evidence summary
In sheep and rodents, longer-acting versions of the kisspeptin hormone (designed to last longer than kisspeptin-10, since kisspeptin-10 disappears from the body in minutes) successfully triggered ovulation and sped up puberty (Decourt et al., Sci Rep 2016).
Source material
Use the linked publications and records to evaluate study design, population, limitations, and relevance.