Vet World   Vol.18   June-2025  Article - 20 

Reproductive integration of leptin and kisspeptin in small ruminants: Mechanisms, biomarker potential, and prospects for precision breeding

Herdis Herdis¹ , Ismeth Inounu¹ , Santoso Santoso¹ , Rahma Isartina Anwar¹ , Sari Yanti Hayanti¹ , Mohammad Firdaus Hudaya¹ , Desiana Ade Mahari^1,2 , Florentina Bety Indah Lupitasari¹ , Anita Hafid¹ , Marchie Asrid da Costa¹ , Nur Adianto³, and Pradita Iustitia Sitaresmi¹

Background and Aim: Kisspeptin and leptin (LEP) are two essential proteins that play a central role in regulating reproductive hormones in small ruminants through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. These proteins influence the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which, in turn, controls key hormones such as follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. Acting in synergy, kisspeptin and LEP also interact with other metabolic and reproductive signals, including insulin, estrogen, and neuropeptides, to coordinate reproductive function. Despite their importance, the detailed mechanisms by which these proteins operate, especially in relation to body condition score are not yet fully understood. This review explores their biological roles, interactions, and potential as markers for selecting high-performing livestock. External factors such as diet, stress, and seasonal changes can further influence their expression and activity. Understanding these pathways can support improved fertility management and the development of genetic or therapeutic strategies to enhance reproductive efficiency in goats and sheep. 

Keywords: body condition score, estrous regulation, gene polymorphism, gonadotropin-releasing hormone regulation, hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, kisspeptin, leptin, livestock reproduction, metabolic-reproductive interaction, puberty induction, fertility markers, reproductive biomarkers, selection traits, small ruminants, therapeutic targets.

How to cite this article: Herdis H, Inounu I, Santoso S, Anwar RI, Hayanti SY, Hudaya MF, Mahari DA, Lupitasari FBI, Hafid A, da Costa MA, Adianto N, and Sitaresmi PI (2025) Reproductive integration of leptin and kisspeptin in small ruminants: Mechanisms, biomarker potential, and prospects for precision breeding, Veterinary World, 18(6): 1614-1633.

Received: 05-02-2025   Accepted: 19-05-2025   Published online: 19-06-2025

Corresponding author: Pradita Iustitia Sitaresmi    E-mail: pradita.iustitia.sitaresmi@brin.go.id

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.1614-1633

Copyright: Herdis, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.