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Patel B, Koysombat K, Mills EG, Tsoutsouki J, Comninos AN, Abbara A, Dhillo WS. The Emerging Therapeutic Potential of Kisspeptin and Neurokinin B. Endocr Rev 2024; 45:30-68. [PMID: 37467734 PMCID: PMC10765167 DOI: 10.1210/endrev/bnad023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Kisspeptin (KP) and neurokinin B (NKB) are neuropeptides that govern the reproductive endocrine axis through regulating hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuronal activity and pulsatile GnRH secretion. Their critical role in reproductive health was first identified after inactivating variants in genes encoding for KP or NKB signaling were shown to result in congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and a failure of pubertal development. Over the past 2 decades since their discovery, a wealth of evidence from both basic and translational research has laid the foundation for potential therapeutic applications. Beyond KP's function in the hypothalamus, it is also expressed in the placenta, liver, pancreas, adipose tissue, bone, and limbic regions, giving rise to several avenues of research for use in the diagnosis and treatment of pregnancy, metabolic, liver, bone, and behavioral disorders. The role played by NKB in stimulating the hypothalamic thermoregulatory center to mediate menopausal hot flashes has led to the development of medications that antagonize its action as a novel nonsteroidal therapeutic agent for this indication. Furthermore, the ability of NKB antagonism to partially suppress (but not abolish) the reproductive endocrine axis has supported its potential use for the treatment of various reproductive disorders including polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, and endometriosis. This review will provide a comprehensive up-to-date overview of the preclinical and clinical data that have paved the way for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic applications of KP and NKB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijal Patel
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Kanyada Koysombat
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 72 Du Cane Rd, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - Edouard G Mills
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 72 Du Cane Rd, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - Jovanna Tsoutsouki
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Alexander N Comninos
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 72 Du Cane Rd, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - Ali Abbara
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 72 Du Cane Rd, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - Waljit S Dhillo
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 72 Du Cane Rd, London, W12 0HS, UK
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Abstract
Humans, like other species, have a preference for symmetrical visual stimuli, a preference that is influenced by factors such as age, sex, and artistic training. In particular, artistic training seems to decrease the rejection of asymmetry in abstract stimuli. However, it is not known whether the same trend would be observed in relation to concrete stimuli such as human faces. In this article, we investigated the role of expertise in visual arts, music, and dance, in the perceived beauty and attractiveness of human faces with different asymmetries. With this objective, the beauty and attractiveness of 100 photographs of faces with different degrees of asymmetry were evaluated by 116 participants with different levels of art expertise. Expertise in visual arts and dance was associated with the extent to which facial asymmetry influenced the beauty ratings assigned to the faces. The greater the art expertise in visual arts and dance, the more indifferent to facial asymmetry the participant was to evaluate beauty. The same effect was not found for music and neither for attractiveness ratings. These findings are important to help understand how face aesthetic evaluation is modified by artistic training and the difference between beauty and attractiveness evaluations.
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Peng Z, Wang Y, Meng L, Liu H, Hu Z. One's own and similar voices are more attractive than other voices. AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/ajpy.12235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhikang Peng
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University, Hangzhou, China,
| | - Yanran Wang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University, Hangzhou, China,
| | - Linghao Meng
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University, Hangzhou, China,
| | - Hongyan Liu
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University, Hangzhou, China,
| | - Zhiguo Hu
- Institutes of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China,
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China,
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Peng Z, Hu Z, Wang X, Liu H. Mechanism underlying the self‐enhancement effect of voice attractiveness evaluation: self‐positivity bias and familiarity effect. Scand J Psychol 2020; 61:690-697. [DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhikang Peng
- Department of Psychology Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University Hangzhou 310018 China
| | - Zhiguo Hu
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders Hangzhou Normal University Hangzhou 311121 China
- Institute of Psychological Sciences Hangzhou Normal University Hangzhou 311121 China
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments Hangzhou Normal University Hangzhou 311121 China
| | - Xinyu Wang
- Department of Psychology Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University Hangzhou 310018 China
| | - Hongyan Liu
- Department of Psychology Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University Hangzhou 310018 China
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Preliminary evidence of olfactory signals of women's fertility increasing social avoidance behavior towards women in pair-bonded men. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11056. [PMID: 28887482 PMCID: PMC5591294 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11356-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that women’s body odor is perceived as more attractive during ovulation and that exposure to women’s chemical signals of high fertility leads to increased mating motivation. Given that pair-bonded men react differently than single men to unfamiliar women, we investigated whether women’s chemical signals of fertility influence approach behavior among pair-bonded and single men. In the first experiment, men performed the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance task while exposed to body odor samples from women who were ovulating and from the same women during their luteal phase. We found that in the presence of the body odor from ovulation, pair-bonded, but not single men, maintained greater distance from different protagonists, particularly from women. In a second experiment we exposed men to women’s body odors while they rated the attractiveness and beauty of women’s faces. Although the ratings of women’s beauty did not differ across odor conditions, when the pair-bonded men were exposed to the high fertility odor they rated highly attractive women as less sexually attractive. The results suggest that exposure to fertility cues from unfamiliar women may trigger social avoidance in pair-bonded men, an outcome that may result from identifying such cues as threats to their relationship.
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