Kisspeptin is a family name, not a single chemical identifier. Below is an identity reference for the material sold as Kisspeptin: which peptides the name covers, what sequence and mass to expect for the form most often supplied for research, how it behaves under reverse-phase HPLC, and how a buyer can confirm that the material in a vial is what the label says. Nothing here addresses what Kisspeptin does, and preparation, handling and dosing are not covered.
The sequence behind Kisspeptin
“Kisspeptin” refers to a set of peptides cut from the precursor protein encoded by the human KISS1 gene. The longest processed form is 54 residues long and is also known as metastin; shorter forms of 14, 13 and 10 residues exist as well. All of them share the same C-terminal stretch, and all of them end in an amidated phenylalanine.
The shortest of these, kisspeptin-10, is the form most commonly supplied as a research reference material. It is the decapeptide:
Tyr-Asn-Trp-Asn-Ser-Phe-Gly-Leu-Arg-Phe-NH2 (one-letter code YNWNSFGLRF-NH2)
It corresponds to residues 112–121 of the human KISS1 precursor sequence as numbered in public protein databases. Its molecular formula is C63H83N17O14 and its average molecular mass is approximately 1302.4 g/mol. All ten residues are standard L-amino acids; the only modification is the C-terminal amide, which is inherited from the native processing of the precursor rather than added as a synthetic design feature.
That C-terminal Arg-Phe-amide motif places kisspeptin in the broader group of peptides chemists call RFamides. It is also the single most useful structural detail for identity work, because a free-acid version of the same ten residues differs in mass by about one dalton and in charge at the C-terminus — small on paper, but enough for a competent mass spectrum to tell them apart.
What the name Kisspeptin refers to
Because the name covers several peptides of very different length, a label that reads only “Kisspeptin” does not by itself tell you which one is in the vial. Kisspeptin-54 has a mass in the region of several thousand daltons; kisspeptin-10 sits at roughly 1302. A purchaser who assumes one and receives the other will see a very different chromatogram and a very different mass spectrum, and neither result would be wrong for the compound actually supplied.
The practical rule is the same one that applies across this series: the sequence and the expected mass, not the trade name, are the identifier. Our kisspeptin listings are named by compound and vial size, so the published analysis for each product — its observed mass in particular — is what pins down which form you are looking at. If a certificate reports a mass near 1302, it describes the decapeptide. The same logic applies to closely related short peptides such as gonadorelin, where the terminal amide and the exact residue count are what separate one compound from its neighbours.
How kisspeptin-10 behaves on reverse-phase HPLC
Kisspeptin-10 is a very different analyte from the small, polar tripeptides elsewhere in this series. Four of its ten residues are aromatic — one tyrosine, one tryptophan and two phenylalanines — and a leucine adds further hydrophobic surface. It retains well on a C18 column and elutes in the middle of a typical water/acetonitrile gradient with trifluoroacetic acid as the ion-pairing agent, comfortably clear of the solvent front.
The aromatic content also changes the detection picture. Tryptophan and tyrosine absorb strongly near 280 nm, so kisspeptin-10 can be seen at 280 nm as well as on the peptide bond at around 214 nm. The 214 nm trace is the one normally used for a purity figure, because every peptide-bonded impurity absorbs there; a 280 nm trace is a useful cross-check, since impurities that lack aromatic residues will be under-represented in it.
The impurities most worth looking for are the ones typical of solid-phase synthesis: sequences missing a single residue, truncated chains, incompletely removed protecting groups and oxidised tryptophan. Several of these elute close to the main peak, which is why the gradient slope and the integration window matter. Our guide to peptide synthesis impurities covers what each class looks like on a chromatogram.
What an analysis for kisspeptin should show
A useful certificate reports the column chemistry and dimensions, the mobile phase and gradient, the detection wavelength, the retention time, the integrated peak area with the integration window visible, and a mass confirmation. For this compound the mass confirmation does the heaviest lifting, because it is what establishes that the vial contains the decapeptide rather than a longer kisspeptin, and the amide rather than the free acid.
A well-prepared report also states net peptide content separately from chromatographic purity and names the counter-ion. Kisspeptin-10 carries a basic arginine and a free N-terminal amine, so it is normally isolated as a salt, most often trifluoroacetate or acetate. The counter-ion adds mass to every milligram weighed out without adding any peptide. HPLC purity tells you how clean the peptide fraction is; net peptide content tells you how much of the powder is peptide at all. The two numbers answer different questions, as our article on peptide purity vs net peptide content explains.
Confirming identity independently
Use the sequence as the search term; the label Kisspeptin is not a reliable key. Public chemical and protein databases index kisspeptin-10 under its one-letter sequence and under its molecular formula, and the KISS1 precursor is catalogued with each processed fragment mapped to its residue range. A sequence search will show quickly whether the name, the sequence and the mass a vendor pairs together are the pairing everyone else uses. Compare the observed mass on the certificate with approximately 1302.4 for the amidated decapeptide; a figure about one dalton higher points to the free acid, and a figure in the thousands points to a longer kisspeptin.
How kisspeptin is supplied here
Kisspeptin 10mg and Kisspeptin 5mg are each supplied as a lyophilised powder in a sealed vial. The published result for Kisspeptin comes from independent reverse-phase HPLC. The Kisspeptin product page lists the vial size alongside the published HPLC purity. Kisspeptin vials carry no batch identifiers; the crimp and cap color identify which published analysis it belongs to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the amino acid sequence of kisspeptin-10?
Tyr-Asn-Trp-Asn-Ser-Phe-Gly-Leu-Arg-Phe-NH2 (YNWNSFGLRF-NH2), ten standard L-amino acids with an amidated C-terminus.
Is kisspeptin the same as kisspeptin-10?
Not necessarily. Kisspeptin is the name for a family of KISS1-derived peptides of 54, 14, 13 and 10 residues. Kisspeptin-10 is the shortest and the most common research form, but the observed mass on a certificate is what confirms which one a vial contains.
What molecular weight should I expect for Kisspeptin?
Approximately 1302.4 g/mol for kisspeptin-10 as the free base, with formula C63H83N17O14. Salt forms of Kisspeptin weigh more, so the counter-ion should accompany any mass figure.
Why is kisspeptin-10 visible at 280 nm?
Because it contains tryptophan and tyrosine, both of which absorb near 280 nm. Purity is still normally reported at 214 nm, where all peptide-bonded species absorb.
Research use only. All products supplied by Battle Born Peptides are laboratory reference materials for in-vitro research and analytical use by qualified professionals. They are not drugs, foods, dietary supplements, cosmetics or medical devices; they are not approved by the FDA or any other regulator for use in humans or animals; and they are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease, or to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals. Nothing in this article is preparation, handling or dosing guidance. See our full research-use terms.