An editorial review of the kisspeptin literature — the KISS1R neuropeptide that sits upstream of the whole reproductive axis, and what the human trials actually found.
Kisspeptin Reviews

Sources

Kisspeptin references: every study cited in this review

Each claim on this site maps to one of these peer-reviewed sources. DOIs and PubMed links are included for every entry.

About this reference list

The studies below are the complete citation set for this kisspeptin review. They span the foundational genetics that explained puberty, the human trials in men and women, the IVF and intranasal work, the metabolism and bone signals, and the safety and tachyphylaxis literature. Every numbered citation in the body of the site corresponds to an entry here. Where a finding involves a dose, the dose is reported in the relevant page strictly as it was studied — by population and route — and never as a recommendation. Full bibliographic detail, with DOIs and PubMed identifiers, appears in the reference table on this page.

  1. Seminara SB, Messager S, Chatzidaki EE, et al. The GPR54 gene as a regulator of puberty. N Engl J Med. 2003;349(17):1614-1627. ↗
  2. Liu X, Lee K, Herbison AE. Kisspeptin excites gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons through a phospholipase C/calcium-dependent pathway regulating multiple ion channels. Endocrinology. 2008;149(9):4605-4614. ↗
  3. George JT, Veldhuis JD, Roseweir AK, et al. Kisspeptin-10 is a potent stimulator of LH and increases pulse frequency in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96(8):E1228-E1236. ↗
  4. Jayasena CN, Abbara A, Veldhuis JD, et al. Increasing LH pulsatility in women with hypothalamic amenorrhoea using intravenous infusion of kisspeptin-54. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014;99(6):E953-E961. ↗
  5. Abbara A, Jayasena CN, Christopoulos G, et al. Efficacy of kisspeptin-54 to trigger oocyte maturation in women at high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) during in vitro fertilization (IVF) therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015;100(9):3322-3331. ↗
  6. Mills EG, Abbara A, Dhillo WS, et al. Intranasal kisspeptin administration rapidly stimulates gonadotropin release in humans. EBioMedicine. 2025;115:105689. ↗
  7. Velmurugan H, Mannava AS, Thangaraju P, Neelambaran K. Kisspeptin and its current clinical status - a systematic review. Curr Med Chem. 2025;32:1313-1322. ↗
  8. Quennell JH, Howell CS, Roa J, et al. Leptin deficiency and diet-induced obesity reduce hypothalamic kisspeptin expression in mice. Endocrinology. 2011;152(4):1541-1550. ↗
  9. Sanchez-Garrido MA, Tena-Sempere M. Metabolic control of puberty: roles of leptin and kisspeptins. Horm Behav. 2013;64(2):187-194. ↗
  10. Izzi-Engbeaya C, Hill TG, Bovell I, et al. The effects of kisspeptin on food intake in women with overweight or obesity. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2023;25(8):2393-2397. ↗
  11. Comninos AN, Hansen MS, Courtney A, et al. Acute effects of kisspeptin administration on bone metabolism in healthy men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2022;107(6):1529-1540. ↗
  12. Rance NE, Dacks PA, Mittelman-Smith MA, et al. Modulation of body temperature and LH secretion by hypothalamic KNDy (kisspeptin, neurokinin B and dynorphin) neurons: a novel hypothesis on the mechanism of hot flushes. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2013;34(3):211-227. ↗
  13. Uenoyama Y, Inoue N, Nakamura S, Tsukamura H. Role of KNDy neurons expressing kisspeptin, neurokinin B, and dynorphin A as a GnRH pulse generator controlling mammalian reproduction. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021;12:724632. ↗
  14. Hu KL, Chang HM, Li R, et al. The role of kisspeptin in the control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and reproduction. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022;13:925206. ↗
  15. Tang R, Ding X, Zhu J. Kisspeptin and polycystic ovary syndrome. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;10:298. ↗
  16. Jayasena CN, Nijher GM, Chaudhri OB, et al. Subcutaneous injection of kisspeptin-54 acutely stimulates gonadotropin secretion in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea, but chronic administration causes tachyphylaxis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(11):4315-4323. ↗
  17. Sato K, et al. Potent vasoconstrictor kisspeptin-10 induces atherosclerotic plaque progression and instability: reversal by its receptor GPR54 antagonist. J Am Heart Assoc. 2017;6(4):e005790. ↗
  18. Abbara A, Al-Memar M, Phylactou M, et al. Kisspeptin in the prediction of pregnancy complications. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022;13:942664. ↗
  19. Mills EG, Comninos AN, Dhillo WS, et al. Kisspeptin administration stimulates reproductive hormones but does not affect anxiety in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2025;110:dgaf128. ↗