A single injection of kisspeptin-54 temporarily increases luteinizing hormone pulsatility in healthy women.
Jayasena. C N CN; Comninos. A N AN; Veldhuis. J D JD; Misra. S S; Abbara. A A; Izzi-Engbeaya. C C; Donaldson. M M; Ghatei. M A MA; Bloom. S R SR; Dhillo. W S WS
Key Findings
- Kisspeptin-54 at 0.30 and 0.60 nmol/kg significantly increased LH pulse frequency compared with saline.
- The increase in LH pulses was observed within 4 hours after a single injection and was temporary.
- Overall LH pulse secretory mass did not change significantly, and the study involved only six healthy women.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers interested in modulating reproductive hormones, a single sub‑cutaneous dose of about 0.3–0.6 nmol/kg kisspeptin‑54 can transiently spike LH pulses, but the effect is short‑lived and safety/long‑term data are lacking. It’s not ready for regular self‑administration, and any experimentation should be done cautiously with hormone monitoring and medical oversight.
Summary
A single shot of kisspeptin-54 under the skin briefly raises the number of luteinizing hormone (LH) pulses in healthy women, especially at doses of 0.30 and 0.60 nmol per kg, but it doesn’t significantly increase the total LH released. The boost lasts only a few hours and the study was tiny (six participants).
Abstract
Kisspeptin is a novel hypothalamic peptide which stimulates endogenous gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion. A single subcutaneous bolus injection of kisspeptin-54 increases circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in women, but its acute effects on LH pulsatility are not known. To investigate the effects of a single subcutaneous (sc) injection of kisspeptin-54 administration on LH pulsatility in healthy female volunteers. Six healthy female adult volunteers underwent 10-minute blood sampling for serum LH measurement for 8 h during the follicular phase of menstrual cycle. Sc bolus injection of saline or kisspeptin-54 (0·15, 0·30 or 0·60 nmol/kg) was administered 4 h after commencing the study. A previously described, blinded deconvolution method was used to detect LH pulses. Mean number of LH pulses was increased significantly following 0·30 and 0·60 nmol/kg kisspeptin-54 when compared with saline (mean increase in number of LH pulses per 4 h, following injection: -0·17 ± 0·54, saline; +2·33 ± 0·56, 0·30 nmol/kg kisspeptin-54, P < 0·05 vs saline; +2·33 ± 0·80, 0·60 nmol/kg kisspeptin-54, P < 0·05 vs saline). LH pulse secretory mass increased following injection of 0·60 nmol/kg in five of six subjects, but the mean change in all subjects was non-significant when compared with saline (mean increase in pulse secretory mass in IU/l following injection: +0·35 ± 0·40, saline; +2·61 ± 1·17, 0·60 nmol/kg kisspeptin-54, P = 0·10 vs saline). A single injection of kisspeptin-54 temporarily stimulates the number of LH pulses in healthy women. Further studies are required to investigate the therapeutic potential of kisspeptin-54 injection to restore LH pulsatility in patients with reproductive disorders caused by impaired GnRH secretion.
Study Information
pubmed
2013
2013-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
10.1111/cen.12179
59
27