Kisspeptin-10 is the C-terminal ten-residue fragment of kisspeptin-54, also called metastin, one of several peptides produced by proteolytic processing of the KISS1 gene product. It belongs to the RFamide peptide family, named for the C-terminal Arg-Phe-NH₂ motif. The terminal amidation is not a formulation detail but a structural requirement: the amidated C-terminus is necessary for receptor binding, and the free-acid form is not equivalent. The verified IUPAC name for PubChem CID 25240297 terminates in a phenylalaninamide, confirming the amide.

It acts as an endogenous agonist at KISS1R, the G protein-coupled receptor formerly designated GPR54. In the hypothalamus, KISS1R is expressed on GnRH neurons, and kisspeptin signalling is described in the literature as an upstream gatekeeper of the GnRH pulse generator, with downstream consequences for luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone secretion. It has been used as a tool compound in human physiology studies of GnRH pulsatility and in reproductive endocrinology research, and KISS1R has separately been studied in cardiovascular tissue.

The most important practical caveat is species identity. The decapeptide sequence is not conserved at position 10: human kisspeptin-10 ends in phenylalanine (YNWNSFGLRF-NH₂), while the mouse and rat form ends in tyrosine (YNWNSFGLRY-NH₂). These are different molecules with different formulas, masses and CAS numbers, and both are sold under the bare name 'kisspeptin-10'. The chemistry given in this entry is the human variant only. A further limitation is that the peptide has a very short plasma half-life, so results from continuous-infusion study designs do not transfer to other administration contexts.