evidence first · every claim carries a source · every recommendation links out no store here · not medical advice · research + education only
inside your peptides.
← Home/Peptides A–Z/Kisspeptin-10
inside your peptidescompound file · skin and other
the compound index

Kisspeptin-10

Studied for raising LH and testosterone in men, raising gonadotrophins in women and testosterone in men with type 2 diabetes. The ten-amino-acid active fragment of kisspeptin, the hypothalamic peptide that switches on GnRH release and, through it, puberty and reproduction.

categoryskin and other
clinical evidenceearly human
community adoptionniche
uses graded5
sources11
last reviewed24 Aug 2026
compound file

The answer, first. The ten-amino-acid active fragment of kisspeptin, the hypothalamic peptide that switches on GnRH release and, through it, puberty and reproduction. The strongest evidence is for raising LH and testosterone in men, graded C — small or open-label human only.

A 1 microgram per kilogram intravenous bolus took LH from 4.1 to 12.4 IU per litre at 30 minutes in 6 men 1. A 22.5-hour infusion lifted testosterone from 16.6 to 24.0 nmol per litre in 4 men 1.

What it is used for

Every use graded on its own evidence, not the compound as a whole. 5 outcomes, ranked by what the human record supports.

#outcome · human · animal · gradewhat the best evidence actually shows
01Raising LH and testosterone in menphysiology studies, 4 to 6 per arm · extensivegrade CA 1 microgram per kilogram intravenous bolus took LH from 4.1 to 12.4 IU per litre at 30 minutes in 6 men 1. A 22.5-hour infusion lifted testosterone from 16.6 to 24.0 nmol per litre in 4 men 1.
02Raising gonadotrophins in womeninconsistent across small studies · extensivegrade CIntravenous kisspeptin-10 raised LH in follicular-phase and post-menopausal women in one study 3, and did nothing in follicular-phase women in another 2. Group sizes were 4 to 10. The direction is unsettled.
03Testosterone in men with type 2 diabetes1 small physiology study · not the basisgrade CKisspeptin-10 raised LH and serum testosterone in men with type 2 diabetes and mild biochemical hypogonadism 4. One small study, hormones only, no clinical endpoint, no replication.
04Sexual desire and arousal2 RCTs, but of kisspeptin-54 · supportivegrade CTwo randomised crossover trials in hypoactive sexual desire disorder used kisspeptin-54, not kisspeptin-10 67. In 32 men penile tumescence rose up to 56% over placebo 6. The primary endpoint was brain imaging.
05Probing GnRH neuron functionresearch diagnostic use · not the basisgrade CKisspeptin response separated children with delayed puberty who later progressed from those who did not 8. A research probe, not a treatment, and not yet a validated clinical test.
gradewhat it means
ARegulatory approval, or multiple adequately-powered trials agreeing with each other
BAt least one well-powered human randomised trial, with the direction replicated
CSmall or open-label human trials only
DAnimal or mechanism data only, with no controlled human outcome
EA claim the human trials have already killed

How it works

The proposed mechanism, in three steps. A mechanism is a reason to run a trial, never a substitute for one.

1targetBinds KISS1R, the receptor formerly called GPR54, on hypothalamic GnRH neurons 10.
2signalReceptor activation triggers GnRH release, which drives pituitary LH and FSH secretion 1.
3effectLoss-of-function mutations in that receptor cause failure of puberty in humans, which is how the pathway was found 10.

What it does not do

Claims the current record does not support. Worth knowing before you set expectations.

not supported by the evidence

How it is used

What published protocols administered, and what the community reports doing. Descriptive on both counts, and never a recommendation.

routeIntravenous bolus or infusion in every human study. One study also tested a subcutaneous bolus in women 2.
formatLyophilised powder, reconstituted for injection.
published dosesStudies gave intravenous boluses from 0.01 to 3 micrograms per kilogram 1. The LH peak came at 1 microgram per kilogram, with a smaller response at 3 1. Infusions ran 1.5 to 4 micrograms per kilogram per hour for up to 22.5 hours 1. Nothing was dosed beyond a day.
human pharmacokineticsNo human half-life is published for kisspeptin-10. The LH rise peaks near 30 minutes after an intravenous bolus 1.
reported conventionsAs reported on peptide forums and vendor protocol sheets, 2020-2026: subcutaneous microgram doses, one to three times a week, alongside testosterone or after a cycle. No published study used that route or that schedule. Convention, not guidance.
commonly paired withGonadorelin

This site does not publish protocols to follow. The doses above are what studies administered or what users report, stated as facts about the literature and the market. How protocols are structured, mixing and storage and the reconstitution calculator cover the arithmetic.

What to expect

Where a trial measured it, the trial. Where only the community reports it, that is said out loud.

onsetLH rises within 30 minutes of an intravenous bolus, and that is where the peak sits 1. No study has followed anyone beyond about 24 hours of dosing, so nothing at all is known about days or weeks.
most common reportAs reported: nothing perceptible. Every published effect is a hormone measured in blood, not a sensation.
adverse effectsHuman studies were single-day physiology experiments and reported no significant adverse events 135. There is no repeat-dose safety record. FDA cited immunogenicity risk when it placed kisspeptin-10 in compounding category 2 9.
the stop signalNo stop signal exists in the literature. Every study ended at a fixed timepoint, at most 22.5 hours of infusion 1.

Approval and status

What regulators and sport bodies have actually said, separately from what the evidence shows.

approvalNot approved anywhere. Research use only.
FDANo US approval. Placed in category 2 for compounding under section 503A on 29 September 2023 9.
sport [WADA]Prohibited in males at all times, class S2.2.1 11.
sold asresearch chemical

Check the vial

The grade above describes a molecule studied under controlled conditions. It says nothing about the powder in a particular vial.

That gap is the one part of this market a reader can actually close. How to read a certificate of analysis covers the five measures in five minutes, and the 2026 audit grades vendors on the documents they publish against a rubric printed in full.

Questions we get

What is Kisspeptin-10 used for?

In research, as a probe of the reproductive axis. It raises LH and testosterone in men within 30 minutes of an intravenous dose 1. It is also used to test whether delayed puberty will resolve 8. In the research market it is bought to raise testosterone or libido.

Neither has an outcome trial. The desire trials people cite used kisspeptin-54, a different peptide 67.

How is Kisspeptin-10 used?

Descriptively, from published protocols. Intravenous bolus of 0.01 to 3 micrograms per kilogram, or infusion of 1.5 to 4 micrograms per kilogram per hour 1.

Always in a research unit, with serial blood sampling. Response peaked at 1 microgram per kilogram and was smaller at 3 1. The subcutaneous weekly schedule the market uses appears in no study.

How long does Kisspeptin-10 take to work?

On hormones, about half an hour: LH peaks near 30 minutes after an intravenous bolus 1.

Beyond that the honest answer is that no one knows, because the longest published exposure is a 22.5-hour infusion 1. No study has dosed anyone for days, weeks or months, so there is no evidence on sustained testosterone, fertility or desire.

Is Kisspeptin-10 an approved drug?

No. Kisspeptin-10 is sold as a research chemical, not as an approved medicine. On our index it is graded early human on clinical evidence and niche on community adoption, and those two are rated separately on purpose.

FDA placed it in category 2 for compounding on 29 September 2023, citing immunogenicity risk 9. It is prohibited in males at all times under class S2.2.1 11.

References

  1. George JT, et al. Kisspeptin-10 is a potent stimulator of LH and increases pulse frequency in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011. PMID 21632807
  2. Jayasena CN, et al. The effects of kisspeptin-10 on reproductive hormone release show sexual dimorphism in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011. PMID 21976724
  3. George JT, Anderson RA, Millar RP. Kisspeptin-10 stimulation of gonadotrophin secretion in women is modulated by sex steroid feedback. Hum Reprod. 2012. PMID 22956346
  4. George JT, et al. Exploring the pathophysiology of hypogonadism in men with type 2 diabetes: kisspeptin-10 stimulates serum testosterone and LH secretion in men with type 2 diabetes and mild biochemical hypogonadism. Clin Endocrinol [Oxf]. 2013. PMID 23153270
  5. Jayasena CN, et al. Direct comparison of the effects of intravenous kisspeptin-10, kisspeptin-54 and GnRH on gonadotrophin secretion in healthy men. Hum Reprod. 2015. PMID 26089302
  6. Mills EG, et al. Effects of Kisspeptin on Sexual Brain Processing and Penile Tumescence in Men With Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023. PMID 36735255
  7. Thurston L, et al. Effects of Kisspeptin Administration in Women With Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2022. PMID 36287566
  8. Chan YM, et al. Divergent responses to kisspeptin in children with delayed puberty. JCI Insight. 2018. PMID 29669934
  9. US Food and Drug Administration. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. Category 2 lists. fda.gov
  10. Seminara SB, et al. The GPR54 gene as a regulator of puberty. N Engl J Med. 2003. PMID 14573733
  11. World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List. In force 1 January 2026. wada-ama.org

Inside Your Peptides is published by the owners of the next lab, a vendor graded elsewhere on this site. We sell nothing here, and this page carries no vendor link. Grades follow the published criteria in our editorial policy — never referral terms. Research and education only. Not medical advice.