home / compounds / Kisspeptin-10
Kisspeptin-10
Key reproductive-axis regulator with real academic research behind it.
What it is
A neuropeptide that sits upstream of GnRH in the reproductive hormonal cascade.
What it does
Triggers GnRH release, thereby influencing LH, FSH and downstream sex hormone production.
Does it work?
Genuinely important in reproductive endocrinology research, with human studies at academic centres. That research context is quite different from unsupervised use for libido.
Claims vs data
Each marketing claim, tagged by what the evidence actually supports.
| Triggers reproductive hormone release | supported |
| A standalone libido therapy | weak evidence |
Reference figures
Quoted from published reference material. These are not Peptuity recommendations.
The evidence, counted
Live counts from Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov.
853 publications indexed, but only 13 randomised controlled trials and 5 registered interventional studies. Human evidence exists but is thin.
query: "Kisspeptin-10" · checked 2026-08-07
Most-cited literature
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A role for kisspeptins in the regulation of gonadotropin secretion in the mouse
Gottsch ML, Cunningham MJ, Smith JT, Popa SM, Acohido BV, Crowley WF, · Endocrinology 2004 · 837 citations
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Activation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons by kisspeptin as a neuroendocrine switch for the onset of puberty
Han SK, Gottsch ML, Lee KJ, Popa SM, Smith JT, Jakawich SK, Clifton DK · J Neurosci 2005 · 758 citations
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Postnatal development of kisspeptin neurons in mouse hypothalamus; sexual dimorphism and projections to gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons
Clarkson J, Herbison AE. · Endocrinology 2006 · 633 citations
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Increased hypothalamic GPR54 signaling: a potential mechanism for initiation of puberty in primates
Shahab M, Mastronardi C, Seminara SB, Crowley WF, Ojeda SR, Plant TM. · Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005 · 615 citations
Regulatory status
Formal, dated regulatory actions.
WADA — Prohibited List 2026
Prohibited in sport — WADA S0 (substance without any health-authority approval)
Common questions
Why is kisspeptin scientifically important?
It sits at the top of the reproductive hormone cascade — upstream of GnRH, LH and FSH. Its discovery reshaped reproductive endocrinology.
What have human studies actually shown?
Academic centres have shown it triggers hormone release and are exploring roles in fertility treatment and psychosexual research — controlled settings, specific endpoints.
Is it a libido booster?
Marketing that way outruns the data. Research effects on brain responses do not establish it as a standalone therapy for low desire.