Kisspeptin

Overall Health Benefits

• Lowers risk of heart disease [1-6]
• Boosts immunity [7-8]
• Helps lose weight [9-11]
• Prevents wrinkles and other signs of skin aging [12]
• Prevents cancer [13-20]
• Boosts brain power [21-23]
• Treats fertility disorders [24-29]

Proven Health Benefits

Lowers Risk of Heart Disease

Evidence suggests that kisspeptin has cardioprotective properties:

1. A study showed that kisspeptin can prevent the development of heart muscle injury. [1]
2. In hypertensive mice, kisspeptine was found to significantly reduce boost blood flow to the heart. [2]
3. In human subjects, kisspeptin treatment decreased the risk of heart injury related to decreased blood flow. [3]
4. A study showed that kisspeptin can help prevent the formation of abnormal plaques within the arteries of the heart. [4]
5. A study showed that kisspeptin deficiency can cause acute myocardial infarction (AMI). [5]
6. A study reported that kisspeptin has the potential to prevent narrowing of the heart arteries. [6]

Boosts Immunity

Kisspeptin also has immune-modulating properties:

1. A study showed that kisspeptin produced antiviral effects. [7]
2. In rats, kisspeptin-54 vaccine-treated subjects demonstrated immunity against Orf virus. [8]

Helps Lose Weight

Studies found that kisspeptin has the potential to promote weight loss:

1. A study in mammals showed that kisspeptin can help reduce weight by decreasing food intake. [9]
2. In mice, kisspeptin treatment reduced diet-induced obesity. [10]
3. A study showed that alteration of kisspeptin may contribute directly or indirectly to human obesity, diabetes, or metabolic dysfunction. [11]

Prevents Wrinkles and other Signs of Skin Aging

A study showed that kisspeptin can be useful in improving UV-induced skin aging by modulating the production of stress-related genes. [12] This suggests that the peptide can be used as a therapeutic option for sun damaged- skin.

Prevents Cancer

The anti-cancer properties of kisspeptin are backed by a convincing number of evidence:

1. A study showed that kisspeptin could potentially be used as a treatment for urogenital cancers. [13]
2. A study found that kisspeptin exerts its anti-tumor effects via inhibition of proliferation, migration, and cell invasion. [14]
3. A study showed that kisspeptin inhibited the progression of colorectal cancer. [15]
4. A study also showed that kisspeptin treatment inhibited endometrial cancer invasion. [16]
5. In urothelial carcinoma, kisspeptin prevented the spread of cancer cells into different body parts. [17]
6. A study showed that kisspeptin enhanced the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. [18]
7. In mice, kisspeptin prevented the spread of cancer cells by affecting their signaling pathways. [19]
8. In human prostate cancer cells, kisspeptin induced death of malignant cells. [20]

Boosts Brain Power

Kisspeptin has also been shown to play a role in maintaining optimum brain function:

1. A study showed that kisspeptin helps regulate emotional processing in the brain. [21]
2. A study also found that kisspeptin enhances brain activity in response to olfactory and visual cues of attraction in men. [22]
3. A study reported that kisspeptin may aid in sexual and emotional brain processing. [23]

Treats Fertility Disorders

Evidence found that kisspeptin can help boost fertility:

1. A study reported that kisspeptin can help treat fertility problems by regulating the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). [24]
2. In mice, kisspeptin signaling is essential for the activation of ovulation. [25]
3. In rabbits, kisspeptin increased pregnancy rate by boosting the production of the hormone progesterone. [26]
4. A study showed that kisspeptin can increase fertility rate by modulating the release of GnRH. [27]
5. A study showed that kisspeptin maintains the normal reproductive function by stimulating GnRH release. [28]
6. In women, increased pregnancy rate was found to be associated with maturation of kisspeptin neurons. [29]

References:

1. Zhang Y, Hou Y, Wang X, et al. The effects of kisspeptin-10 on serum metabolism and myocardium in rats. PLoS One. 2017;12(7):e0179164. Published 2017 Jul 10. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0179164.
2. Sawyer I, Smillie SJ, Bodkin JV, Fernandes E, O’Byrne KT, Brain SD. The vasoactive potential of kisspeptin-10 in the peripheral vasculature. PLoS One. 2011;6(2):e14671. Published 2011 Feb 9. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014671.
3. Maguire JJ, Kirby HR, Mead EJ, Kuc RE, d’Anglemont de Tassigny X, Colledge WH, et al. (2011) Inotropic Action of the Puberty Hormone Kisspeptin in Rat, Mouse and Human: Cardiovascular Distribution and Characteristics of the Kisspeptin Receptor. PLoS ONE 6(11): e27601. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027601.
4. Available from https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/JAHA.117.005790.
5. Shojaei, M., Erfanian, S., Sotoodeh Jahromi, A., Yusefi, N., Madani, A., Khoshfetrat, M., & Hojjat-Farsangi, M. (2018). Kisspeptin serum levels in acute myocardial infarction patients and healthy individuals. Biomedical Research and Therapy, 5(3), 2111-2118. https://doi.org/10.15419/bmrat.v5i3.424.
6. Emma J. Mead, Janet J. Maguire, Rhoda E. Kuc, Anthony P. Davenport, Kisspeptins Are Novel Potent Vasoconstrictors in Humans, with a Discrete Localization of Their Receptor, G Protein-Coupled Receptor 54, to Atherosclerosis-Prone Vessels, Endocrinology, Volume 148, Issue 1, 1 January 2007, Pages 140–147, https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2006-0818.
7. Huang H, Xiong Q, Wang N, et al. Kisspeptin/GPR54 signaling restricts antiviral innate immune response through regulating calcineurin phosphatase activity. Sci Adv. 2018;4(8):eaas9784. Published 2018 Aug 8. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aas9784.
8. Wassie, T., Fanmei, Z., Jiang, X. et al. Recombinant B2L and Kisspeptin-54 DNA Vaccine Induces Immunity Against Orf Virus and Inhibits Spermatogenesis In Rats. Sci Rep 9, 16262 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52744-y.
9. Wolfe A, Hussain MA. The Emerging Role(s) for Kisspeptin in Metabolism in Mammals. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2018;9:184. Published 2018 Apr 24. doi:10.3389/fendo.2018.00184.
10. Janette H. Quennell, Christopher S. Howell, Juan Roa, Rachael A. Augustine, David R. Grattan, Greg M. Anderson, Leptin Deficiency and Diet-Induced Obesity Reduce Hypothalamic Kisspeptin Expression in Mice, Endocrinology, Volume 152, Issue 4, 1 April 2011, Pages 1541–1550, https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2010-1100.
11. Available from https://www.jci.org/articles/view/71075.
12. Lee, Kyung-Eun & Jeong, Sugyeong & Yun, Seok & Kyung, Seoyeon & Sophie, Abadie & Moh, Sang Hyun & Seo, Hyo & Park, Myeong & Kang, Seunghyun & Yeo, Hyeonju. (2020). Synthesis of Kisspeptin-Mimicking Fragments and Investigation of their Skin Anti-Aging Effects. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 21. 8439. 10.3390/ijms21228439.
13. Wahab, F., Atika, B., Shahab, M. et al. Kisspeptin signalling in the physiology and pathophysiology of the urogenital system. Nat Rev Urol 13, 21–32 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2015.277.
14. Ciaramella V, Della Corte CM, Ciardiello F, Morgillo F. Kisspeptin and Cancer: Molecular Interaction, Biological Functions, and Future Perspectives. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2018;9:115. Published 2018 Mar 27. doi:10.3389/fendo.2018.00115.
15. Kim JN, Kim TH, Yoon JH, Cho SG. Kisspeptin Inhibits Colorectal Cancer Cell Invasiveness by Activating PKR and PP2A. Anticancer Res. 2018 Oct;38(10):5791-5798. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.12918. PMID: 30275201.
16. Schmidt E, Haase M, Ziegler E, Emons G, Gründker C. Kisspeptin-10 inhibits stromal-derived factor 1-induced invasion of human endometrial cancer cells. Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2014 Feb;24(2):210-7. doi: 10.1097/IGC.0000000000000050. PMID: 24407584.
17. Takeda T, Kikuchi E, Mikami S, Suzuki E, Matsumoto K, Miyajima A, Okada Y, Oya M. Prognostic role of KiSS-1 and possibility of therapeutic modality of metastin, the final peptide of the KiSS-1 gene, in urothelial carcinoma. Mol Cancer Ther. 2012 Apr;11(4):853-63. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-11-0521. Epub 2012 Feb 24. PMID: 22367780.
18. Wang H, Jones J, Turner T, et al. Clinical and biological significance of KISS1 expression in prostate cancer. Am J Pathol. 2012;180(3):1170-1178. doi:10.1016/j.ajpath.2011.11.020.
19. Kim, T., & Kim, T. (2017). Kisspeptin inhibits cancer growth and metastasis via activation of EIF2AK2. Molecular Medicine Reports, 16, 7585-7590. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2017.7578.
20. Available from https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/69/17/7062.
21. Comninos AN, Wall MB, Demetriou L, et al. Kisspeptin modulates sexual and emotional brain processing in humans. J Clin Invest. 2017;127(2):709-719. doi:10.1172/JCI89519.
22. Yang L, Demetriou L, Wall MB, et al. Kisspeptin enhances brain responses to olfactory and visual cues of attraction in men. JCI Insight. 2020;5(3):e133633. Published 2020 Feb 13. doi:10.1172/jci.insight.133633.
23. Available from https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/481137#.
24. Clarke H, Dhillo WS, Jayasena CN. Comprehensive Review on Kisspeptin and Its Role in Reproductive Disorders. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2015;30(2):124-141. doi:10.3803/EnM.2015.30.2.124.
25. Available from https://www.jneurosci.org/content/28/35/8691.
26. Maranesi, M., Petrucci, L., Leonardi, L. et al. Kisspeptin/kisspeptin receptor system in pseudopregnant rabbit corpora lutea: presence and function. Sci Rep 9, 5044 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41623-1.
27. León, S., Barroso, A., Vázquez, M. et al. Direct Actions of Kisspeptins on GnRH Neurons Permit Attainment of Fertility but are Insufficient to Fully Preserve Gonadotropic Axis Activity. Sci Rep 6, 19206 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep19206.
28. Available from https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physiol.00009.2010.
29. Tng EL. Kisspeptin signalling and its roles in humans. Singapore Med J. 2015;56(12):649-656. doi:10.11622/smedj.2015183.