Source list
Several places to enter the literature, depending on the question.
Desire and reward
The female Syrian hamster experiment starts the site's discussion of sexual reward. For human desire and distress, the RECONNECT Phase 3 trials provide the placebo-controlled comparison; the open-label extension adds longer observation. The MC4R brain-imaging study follows sexual processing in premenopausal women with HSDD.
Hormone activity and fertility
For the receptor, begin with GPR54 genetics or the mouse GnRH-neuron experiment. Human interventions include kisspeptin-10 in healthy men, kisspeptin-54 in hypothalamic amenorrhea, the IVF maturation trial and intranasal delivery research. The clinical-status review places earlier trials in context. The bremelanotide prescribing information sets out the approved indication and label warnings.
- Mills EG, Abbara A, Dhillo WS, et al. Intranasal kisspeptin administration rapidly stimulates gonadotropin release in humans. EBioMedicine. 2025;115:105689. ↗
- Velmurugan H, Mannava AS, Thangaraju P, Neelambaran K. Kisspeptin and its current clinical status - a systematic review. Curr Med Chem. 2025;32:1313-1322. ↗
- Abbara A, Jayasena CN, Christopoulos G, et al. Efficacy of kisspeptin-54 to trigger oocyte maturation in women at high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) during in vitro fertilization (IVF) therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015;100(9):3322-3331. ↗
- Jayasena CN, Abbara A, Veldhuis JD, et al. Increasing LH pulsatility in women with hypothalamic amenorrhoea using intravenous infusion of kisspeptin-54. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014;99(6):E953-E961. ↗
- George JT, Veldhuis JD, Roseweir AK, et al. Kisspeptin-10 is a potent stimulator of LH and increases pulse frequency in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96(8):E1228-E1236. ↗
- Liu X, Lee K, Herbison AE. Kisspeptin excites gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons through a phospholipase C/calcium-dependent pathway regulating multiple ion channels. Endocrinology. 2008;149(9):4605-4614. ↗
- Seminara SB, Messager S, Chatzidaki EE, et al. The GPR54 gene as a regulator of puberty. N Engl J Med. 2003;349(17):1614-1627. ↗
- Borland JM, Kohut-Jackson AL, Peyla AC, Hall MA, Mermelstein PG, Meisel RL. Female Syrian hamster analyses of bremelanotide, a US FDA approved drug for the treatment of female hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Neuropharmacology. 2025;267:110299. ↗
- Thurston L, Hunjan T, Mills EG, Wall MB, Ertl N, Phylactou M, Muzi B, Patel B, Alexander EC, Suladze S, Modi M, Eng PC, Bassett PA, Abbara A, Goldmeier D, Comninos AN, Dhillo WS. Melanocortin 4 receptor agonism enhances sexual brain processing in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. J Clin Invest. 2022;132(19):e152341. ↗
- Kingsberg SA, Clayton AH, Portman D, Williams LA, Krop J, Jordan R, Lucas J, Simon JA. Bremelanotide for the Treatment of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: Two Randomized Phase 3 Trials. Obstet Gynecol. 2019;134(5):899-908. ↗
- Simon JA, Kingsberg SA, Portman D, Williams LA, Krop J, Jordan R, Lucas J, Clayton AH. Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Bremelanotide for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. Obstet Gynecol. 2019;134(5):909-917. ↗
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration / DailyMed. Bremelanotide Injection — US Prescribing Information (DailyMed/FDA). DailyMed (US FDA structured product label). 2019. ↗