C tier · mixed
Kisspeptin-10 itself has genuine, well-conducted human pharmacology data on gonadotrophin secretion from the Dhillo group, but the sexual-desire and penile-tumescence findings it is marketed on were generated with kisspeptin-54, a different and longer peptide, and no approved indication exists for either.
kisspeptin-10
Kisspeptin-10 is the C-terminal decapeptide fragment of kisspeptin and a potent agonist at the KISS1R/GPR54 receptor, with real human intravenous infusion data showing stimulation of luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. The widely circulated findings on sexual brain processing and penile tumescence were obtained with kisspeptin-54, not kisspeptin-10, and this distinction is routinely collapsed in marketing.
// we supply this one
available as a research reagent
≥ 99% HPLC · lyophilised powder · batch certificate published. Grade C above is our own and is not adjusted because we stock it.
the explanation
Kisspeptin-10 is a short piece of a natural hormone that switches on the brain circuit controlling reproductive hormones, and infusing it into a vein does raise those hormones in people. The much-publicised studies showing improved sexual arousal and erection response used kisspeptin-54, a longer version of the molecule, which is not what is sold in vials labelled kisspeptin-10.
regulatory status
No approved indication; investigational research peptide only
Neither kisspeptin-10 nor kisspeptin-54 is approved by the FDA, EMA or any other major regulator for any indication. All human data derive from academic investigator-led studies, predominantly from the Dhillo group at Imperial College London, conducted under research protocols using continuous intravenous infusion.
how it works · proposed mechanism
Kisspeptin-10 activates the KISS1R (GPR54) receptor on hypothalamic GnRH neurons, sitting one step upstream of the classical reproductive axis.
KISS1R/GPR54 activation
Kisspeptin-10 is the minimal C-terminal decapeptide retaining full agonist activity at KISS1R, a Gq-coupled receptor expressed on GnRH neurons. Receptor activation drives GnRH release, which in turn stimulates pituitary LH and FSH secretion.
Upstream of the GnRH pulse generator
Because kisspeptin acts above GnRH rather than at the pituitary, it modulates the physiological pulse generator rather than overriding it. This is the mechanistic rationale for interest in hypothalamic amenorrhoea and fertility applications.
Rapid clearance limits exposure
Kisspeptin-10's roughly 4-minute plasma half-life means bolus administration produces a brief exposure spike rather than the sustained receptor engagement used in the published human studies. Every positive human efficacy dataset used continuous intravenous infusion, not a bolus.
what’s reported
evidence shape
6 sourcesThe composition of the cited literature by study type. This describes the shape of the evidence, not its quality — and it does not by itself set the grade.
⚠ the catch
The headline sexual-health results, the 56 percent penile tumescence increase and the limbic sexual-brain-processing findings, were produced with kisspeptin-54 given as a continuous intravenous infusion in a research unit, not with the kisspeptin-10 sold in vials. Kisspeptin-10 has a plasma half-life of about 4 minutes against 27.6 minutes for kisspeptin-54, and no randomised trial has shown that kisspeptin-10 improves sexual desire or erectile function in anyone.
key published findings
- Human trial (Jayasena et al., Human Reproduction 2015;30(8):1934, healthy men, intravenous infusion at 0.1, 0.3 and 1.0 nmol/kg/h for 3 hours, n=5 per group): kisspeptin-10 plasma half-life was 4 minutes versus 27.6 minutes for kisspeptin-54; despite kisspeptin-54 reaching 37-fold higher circulating levels at the top dose, both isoforms produced similar gonadotrophin secretion, and both were substantially less potent than GnRH.
- Human trial (Comninos et al., J Clin Invest 2017;127(2):709-719, n=29 healthy heterosexual men, randomised double-blind two-way crossover, placebo-controlled): the peptide administered was KISSPEPTIN-54 at 1 nmol/kg/h intravenously for 75 minutes; it enhanced limbic brain activity to sexual and couple-bonding images and reduced negative mood, with no effect on other emotional or cognitive tasks.
- Human trial (JAMA Network Open 2023, n=32 men with hypoactive sexual desire disorder, randomised double-blind placebo-controlled crossover): the peptide administered was again KISSPEPTIN-54 at 1 nmol/kg/h intravenously; penile tumescence in response to sexual content was up to 56 percent greater than with placebo, alongside increased activity in sexual brain network structures.
- Molecular distinction (the core caveat): the product sold as kisspeptin-10 is metastin (45-54), a 10-residue C-terminal fragment (C63H83N17O14, 1302.44 g/mol, CAS 374675-21-5), whereas kisspeptin-54 is a 54-residue peptide with roughly seven times the plasma half-life; no published randomised trial has demonstrated that kisspeptin-10 improves sexual desire, arousal or erectile function, and every human efficacy dataset for either isoform used continuous intravenous infusion under research supervision rather than bolus injection.
- Mechanistic comparison (PLOS One 2017, preclinical): a dedicated study examined why kisspeptin-54 is more potent than kisspeptin-10 in vivo, reinforcing that the two isoforms are not pharmacologically interchangeable despite acting at the same receptor.
limitations of the evidence
- The human trials are small (n=29 to 32), single-centre, acute-exposure crossover studies in a research imaging setting, with no data on repeated exposure or durability of effect.
- The most cited sexual-health outcomes belong to kisspeptin-54, so the evidence base for kisspeptin-10 specifically is confined to gonadotrophin and pharmacokinetic endpoints.
- No trial has evaluated any clinical endpoint over a meaningful time horizon, and there are no approved indications, so long-term effects on the reproductive axis are uncharacterised.
documented safety signals
- Published intravenous infusion studies in healthy volunteers reported the peptide as generally well tolerated over short exposures, but sample sizes are too small to detect uncommon adverse events.
- Because kisspeptin acts upstream of the GnRH pulse generator, effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis with repeated or sustained exposure are unstudied and theoretically capable of disrupting normal pulsatility.
- As an unapproved research peptide there is no regulated manufacturing oversight, so identity, purity and sterility of distributed material are unverified.
identity
| full name | Kisspeptin-10 (human), metastin (45-54) |
| category | Sexual Health |
| modality | peptide |
| formula | C63H83N17O14 |
| molar mass | 1302.44 g/mol |
| cas | 374675-21-5 |
| half-life | Approximately 4 minutes in human plasma after intravenous infusion (Jayasena et al., Human Reproduction 2015), compared with 27.6 minutes for kisspeptin-54 |
| sequence | H-Tyr-Asn-Trp-Asn-Ser-Phe-Gly-Leu-Arg-Phe-NH2 (YNWNSFGLRF-NH2) |
laboratory handling
| storage | Lyophilised peptide is typically stored desiccated at -20 C and protected from light; the RF-amide C-terminus and Trp residue make it sensitive to oxidation and light. Handling information only. |
| solubility | Water-soluble; the basic arginine residue and amidated C-terminus give good solubility in aqueous buffers, with sterile water or dilute aqueous buffer typically used in laboratory settings. |
| co-studied with | No published trial has evaluated kisspeptin-10 in combination with any other agent. The evidence-relevant point is not combination but substitution: kisspeptin-10 and kisspeptin-54 are distinct molecules with distinct pharmacokinetics and distinct evidence bases. |
Handling information describes laboratory practice for a research reagent. It is not a preparation guide for use in humans.
the receipts
6 citedHuman Reproduction · 2015 · clinical study
Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2017 · randomized trial
JAMA Network Open · 2023 · randomized trial
PLOS One · 2017 · preclinical
Imperial College London (news release) · 2023 · institutional release
Cayman Chemical · 2026 · chemical reference
others in Sexual Health