Kisspeptin-10: research, legal status and who sells it

What it is

Kisspeptin is a hypothalamic hormone that regulates gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons and so controls the reproductive axis, including puberty, the menstrual cycle and ovulation [10]. Kisspeptin-10, a short form, is the version nominated to FDA for compounding [3].

Research status

Human studies have tested kisspeptin in IVF treatment, as a trigger of egg maturation [10][11]. In a phase 2 trial in 60 women at high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome during IVF, a longer form, kisspeptin-54, was used to trigger egg maturation; maturation occurred in 95% of women and none developed moderate or severe hyperstimulation [11]. Across all groups in that trial, the live birth rate per embryo transfer was 45% [11]. Reviews describe kisspeptin’s potential for diagnosing and treating reproductive disorders, and link it to sexual behavior, placental function and bone health [10]. These studies do not test the research-grade kisspeptin-10 sold online.

Regulatory status

No kisspeptin medicine is FDA-approved [1]. FDA lists kisspeptin-10 in Category 2 for pharmacy compounding because of significant safety risks, citing potential immunogenicity, complexities with impurities and characterization, and a lack of safety information for the proposed routes [2][3]. No kisspeptin medicine is authorized in the UK, the EU or Canada [4][5][7], and it is not named in Australia’s Poisons Standard [8]. WADA prohibits kisspeptin and its agonist analogues at all times in males [9].

Quality and testing considerations

FDA says it lacks sufficient information to know whether kisspeptin-10 would cause harm when given to humans [3]. Products should state which kisspeptin form they contain, since kisspeptin-10 and kisspeptin-54 are different peptides [11][3], and identity should be confirmed by mass spectrometry.

Where it’s sold

Kisspeptin-10 is sold online by research-chemical vendors; the tables below track listings.