Kisspeptin signalling and its roles in humans.
Tng. Eng Loon EL
Key Findings
- Kisspeptins bind to the same receptor and are made in specific hypothalamic neurons.
- Estrogen uses kisspeptin pathways for both negative and positive feedback on hormone release.
- Kisspeptin activity is linked to puberty timing and interacts with leptin, a metabolic hormone.
- Potential medical uses include diagnostic imaging of hormone disorders, contraceptive agents, IVF support, and cancer therapy.
Practical Outcomes
- For most biohackers, the current knowledge is mostly informational; there are no proven, safe ways to use kisspeptin-10 for performance or longevity. The main takeaway is that kisspeptin influences reproductive hormones and may someday be part of fertility or hormoneārelated treatments, but practical DIY use is not yet supported.
Summary
Kisspeptin-10 is a small protein that helps control the brain's reproductive hormone system. It works with estrogen and leptin to trigger puberty and fertility, and scientists think it could be used for things like fertility testing, birth control, and treating hormoneādriven cancers, but there are no clear dosing or DIY protocols yet.
Abstract
Kisspeptins are a group of peptide fragments encoded by the KISS1 gene in humans. They bind to kisspeptin receptors with equal efficacy. Kisspeptins and their receptors are expressed by neurons in the arcuate and anteroventral periventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus. Oestrogen mediates negative feedback of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone secretion via the arcuate nucleus. Conversely, it exerts positive feedback via the anteroventral periventricular nucleus. The sexual dimorphism of these nuclei accounts for the differential behaviour of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis between genders. Kisspeptins are essential for reproductive function. Puberty is regulated by the maturation of kisspeptin neurons and by interactions between kisspeptins and leptin. Hence, kisspeptins have potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Kisspeptin agonists may be used to localise lesions in cases of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis dysfunction and evaluate the gonadotrophic potential of subfertile individuals. Kisspeptin antagonists may be useful as contraceptives in women, through the prevention of premature luteinisation during in vitro fertilisation, and in the treatment of sex steroid-dependent diseases and metastatic cancers.
Study Information
pubmed
2015
2015-12-01T00:00:00.000Z
10.11622/smedj.2015183
70
51