Kisspeptin-10 (KP-10) is a 10-amino-acid fragment of kisspeptin, a hormone that switches on the body’s reproductive system. In small human studies, an injection or infusion of kisspeptin-10 raised luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone in men within hours.[1] It is not approved as a medicine anywhere, and the FDA lists it among compounding substances that may pose significant safety risks.[21]

Much of the buzz around kisspeptin, including studies on sexual desire and IVF, comes from a longer form called kisspeptin-54, not kisspeptin-10. This profile separates the two.

What is kisspeptin-10?

Kisspeptin is made by nerve cells in the hypothalamus. People with mutations that switch off kisspeptin signaling do not go through puberty normally and are infertile.[15] Kisspeptin-54 is the main form circulating in blood; kisspeptin-10 is its last 10 amino acids, the shortest piece with full activity at the receptor.[1][15] In some papers it is called kisspeptin 112-121, after its position in the precursor protein.[9]

How kisspeptin-10 works

Kisspeptin-10 binds the kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R, also called GPR54) on GnRH-producing nerve cells.[25] These release GnRH, which tells the pituitary gland to release LH and FSH. In men, LH then signals the testes to make testosterone.[1][25]

Because it works upstream of GnRH, kisspeptin is also being studied as a test of whether the hypothalamus is working, for example in teenagers with delayed puberty.[25] A 2026 Russian review describes kisspeptin agonists as a possible future option for women with several forms of missed periods.[24]

Kisspeptin-10 is short-lived: it lasts about 4 minutes in blood, compared with about 28 minutes for kisspeptin-54.[5]

What the research shows

All human studies of kisspeptin-10 are small and short. None tested it as a treatment over months.

Kisspeptin-10 and testosterone in men

  • Healthy men (Edinburgh): an IV dose of 1 microgram per kg raised LH from 4.1 to 12.4 IU/L in 30 minutes; a higher dose of 3 micrograms per kg worked less well. A 22.5-hour infusion raised testosterone from 16.6 to 24.0 nmol/L and made LH pulses more frequent.[1]
  • Men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone: in 4 men, an 11-hour infusion raised testosterone from 8.5 to 11.4 nmol/L.[4]
  • Under-the-skin infusion (Imperial College, 2026): in 15 healthy men, daily 8-hour infusions from a small pump kept LH and testosterone raised for 12 days. When the infusion ran nonstop for 5 days, LH fell back to placebo levels, though testosterone stayed higher.[7]
  • Continuous IV infusion (Boston, 2026): in 3 men, a 24-hour infusion raised LH 5- to 8-fold, but levels then drifted down by 13% to 47% while the infusion continued.[11]
  • Older men (Pakistan): LH rose after kisspeptin-10 at all ages, but testosterone rose only in younger adult men, not in middle-aged or older men.[8]
  • Compared with GnRH: at matched doses, GnRH itself raised LH about 3 times more than kisspeptin-10.[5]

The pattern of fading response with nonstop dosing matters for anyone imagining daily injections: more exposure is not always more effect.[7][11]

Kisspeptin-10 in women

Women respond differently. In the early part of the menstrual cycle, kisspeptin-10 did not raise LH even at high IV or under-the-skin doses; it did work just before ovulation.[2] An Edinburgh study did find LH rises in the early cycle at a lower dose, with the biggest response after menopause and none in women on the combined pill.[3] In 2 French women whose periods had stopped because of prolactin-secreting pituitary tumors, a 12-hour kisspeptin-10 infusion restarted LH pulses and raised ovarian hormones.[6]

Delayed puberty

In a Boston study, a single small IV dose of kisspeptin-10 separated children with delayed puberty into responders and non-responders.[9] On follow-up, every child with a clear LH response went on to enter puberty, and every child with little or no response did not by age 18.[10]

Studies that used kisspeptin-54, not kisspeptin-10

The Imperial College studies that made headlines used kisspeptin-54:

  • Brain and sexual responses: in 29 healthy men, IV kisspeptin-54 boosted activity in emotional and reward areas of the brain when they viewed sexual and romantic images.[12]
  • Low sexual desire: in 32 men with low sexual desire, it changed sexual brain activity and increased erection response to sexual videos by up to 56% versus placebo.[14] In 32 women with low sexual desire, it altered brain responses to erotic videos and attractive faces.[13]
  • IVF: a single injection of kisspeptin-54 matured eggs in women undergoing IVF,[15] and in 60 women at high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, none developed moderate or severe cases.[16]
  • Hypothalamic amenorrhea: kisspeptin is being studied for women whose periods stop because of low energy intake, heavy exercise or stress.[17]
  • Nasal spray: a kisspeptin-54 nasal spray raised LH in healthy men and women and in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea.[18]

Researchers chose kisspeptin-54 partly because it lasts longer, so it can be given under the skin.[5] These results should not be assumed to apply to kisspeptin-10.

Kisspeptin-10 dosage used in studies

There is no approved or established dose. These are the research protocols, mostly given by vein in a hospital:

StudyDose and route
Healthy men, single dose0.01 to 3.0 micrograms/kg IV; strongest LH rise at 1 microgram/kg[1]
Healthy men, infusion1.5 to 4 micrograms/kg per hour IV for up to 22.5 hours[1]
Men with type 2 diabetes0.3 micrograms/kg IV bolus; separately, 4 micrograms/kg per hour IV for 11 hours[4]
Women with prolactin-related amenorrhea1.5 micrograms/kg per hour IV for 12 hours[6]
Children with delayed puberty0.313 micrograms/kg IV, once[9]
12-day study in men150 nmol per hour under the skin by pump, 8 hours a day[7]

Because kisspeptin-10 clears in minutes, studies relied on IV bolus doses for a quick test or on infusions to keep levels up.[5] For converting a vial’s milligrams into syringe units, see our peptide calculator; it does not tell you whether a dose is safe or effective.

Kisspeptin-10 side effects

  • Short-term studies: a 2015 Imperial College paper noted that kisspeptin (mostly the kisspeptin-54 form) had been given to people without significant side effects reported, though all studies were small and brief,[5] and in the prolactin study researchers reported kisspeptin-10 was well tolerated, with no adverse effects observed in 2 patients.[6]
  • Anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate: in 95 people given kisspeptin-54, there was no change in anxiety, cortisol, blood pressure or heart rate.[19]
  • Fading response: nonstop dosing blunted the LH response within days.[7]
  • Blood vessels (lab and animal data only): kisspeptin-10 constricts blood vessels and, in mice prone to artery disease, 4 weeks of infusion sped up plaque buildup. This has not been studied in people.[20]
  • Long-term use: no study has followed people for months, so long-term effects on fertility, the heart or hormone-sensitive conditions are unknown.[7]
  • Compounded products: the FDA says kisspeptin-10 may cause immune reactions by some routes and that it has little or no safety information for the proposed uses.[21]

Kisspeptin vs PT-141

Kisspeptin-10PT-141 (bremelanotide)
StatusExperimental; not approved[21]FDA-approved as Vyleesi[26]
How it worksKisspeptin receptor, which drives GnRH, LH and testosterone[1]Melanocortin receptors in the brain[26]
Human evidenceHormone studies in small groups[1][7]Phase 3 trials in women with low desire[26]
Libido evidenceOnly for kisspeptin-54, in brain-imaging studies[13][14]Modest gains in desire in women[26]
Main side effectsNo significant side effects reported in small, short studies (2015 summary)[5]Nausea in 40%, flushing, temporary blood pressure rise[26]

The two have never been compared. See our PT-141 profile and Melanotan II profile for the melanocortin peptides.

  • Not approved: kisspeptin-10 is not an FDA-approved drug.[21]
  • Compounding: since September 29, 2023, FDA has placed kisspeptin-10 in 503A category 2, substances that may pose significant safety risks, and it remained there on FDA’s May 14, 2026 list.[21][22]
  • Sport: WADA’s 2026 Prohibited List bans “kisspeptin and its agonist analogues” under S2.2.1, testosterone-stimulating peptides in males.[23]

This is general information, not legal advice.

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