Hormone named for chocolate candy might boost sexual desire
Kisspeptin, a naturally-occurring hormone that stimulates the release of other reproductive hormones in the body, may prove useful for treating low sexual desire, two preliminary studies suggest.
The gene for kisspeptin was discovered by researchers in Hershey, Pennsylvania, who named it after the iconic chocolate 'Kisses' made there by The Hershey Company.
In a trial involving 32 men published on Friday in JAMA Network Open and a separate trial involving 32 premenopausal women published in the same journal in October, a single intravenous infusion of kisspeptin had positive effects on sexual responses, researchers reported.
The study participants all had hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), or low sexual desire that is distressing to the individual. There are currently no effective drugs for HSDD.
The researchers had previously shown that kisspeptin can enhance responses to sexual stimuli and boost attraction brain pathways in men with healthy sexual desire.
In the new studies, the researchers employed blood tests, hormonal measurements, behavioral analyses and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain to investigate the effect of kisspeptin on responses to erotic videos in women and men with low sexual desire. Participants each received the hormone and a placebo, on two separate occasions.
In men, kisspeptin affected brain activity in key structures of the sexual-processing network and led to increased sexual behavior and erection in response to the videos, the researchers said. Placebo did not have a similar effect.
In women, the treatment restored sexual and attraction brain processing, according to the study authors.
"It is highly encouraging to see the same boosting effect in both women and men, although the precise brain pathways were slightly different as might be expected," coauthor Waljit Dhillo of Imperial College London said in a statement.
Kisspeptin was well-tolerated with no reported adverse side effects.
"Our two studies provide proof-of-concept for the development of kisspeptin treatments, as we provide the first evidence that kisspeptin is a potentially safe and effective therapy for both women and men with distressing low sexual desire," Alexander Comninos, also of Imperial College London, said in a statement.