KPV is the last three amino acids of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a 13-residue hormone best known for its effect on skin pigment. In the late 1980s, researchers cutting the hormone into pieces found that this three-residue tail still acted in an inflammation model, while losing the pigment effect.1
The research since then is in mice and cell culture, much of it on the gut. No human study of KPV has been published.
3 of 13
342.4 g/mol
0
Not named
Identity
Lysine, proline, valine. Position numbers follow the parent hormone.
Fig. 1 · Sequence map. Numbering follows alpha-MSH.
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Parent | Alpha-MSH, residues 11–13 |
| Formula | C16H30N4O4 |
| Avg mass | 342.4 g/mol |
| CAS | 67727-97-3 |
| Form in studies | Often the C-terminal amide; check the lot certificate for the form supplied |
History
Hiltz and Lipton report that the 11–13 fragment of alpha-MSH reduces swelling in a mouse ear model.1
Oral KPV shown to reduce colitis in two mouse models, taken up through the gut transporter PepT1.2
Shown to lower NF-κB signalling in intestinal cells in culture.3
Packaged in hyaluronic acid nanoparticles and tested in mouse colitis.4
No human study published.
What the studies measured
Each row names the model. Mouse colitis induced with chemicals is a standard model, but it is not the human disease.
| Area | Model | What was measured | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inflammation | Mouse ear swelling | Ear thickness after an irritant, with and without the peptide | [1] |
| Gut | DSS and TNBS colitis in mice; oral KPV | Weight loss, colon length, tissue damage score, cytokine levels; uptake through PepT1 | [2] |
| Gut cells | Human intestinal cell lines | NF-κB activation and inflammatory cytokine output | [3] |
| Gut | DSS colitis in mice; nanoparticle delivery | Same measures as above with targeted delivery | [4] |
| Immune cells | Cultured macrophages and T cells | Cytokine release | [5] |
Human studies
None published. The parent hormone and some longer analogues have been studied in people, but those results do not transfer to a three-residue fragment without testing.
Regulatory and sport status
As of this revision. General information, not legal advice.
| Where | Status |
|---|---|
| UK and EU | No marketing authorisation. Not a controlled drug in the UK. May not be supplied or promoted for human use. |
| US | Not FDA-approved. Named in a July 2026 FDA advisory committee agenda on compounding substances; no rule had followed at this revision.6 |
| Sport | Not named on the WADA list. As an unapproved substance it falls under class S0, prohibited at all times.7 |
Open questions
- How it works. It does not act through the melanocortin receptors the parent hormone uses, and the mechanism proposed in cell studies has not been confirmed in tissue.
- Whether oral uptake in mice through PepT1 means anything for other routes or species.
- Whether any of the mouse colitis findings hold in people. No trial has been run.
Common questions
What is KPV?
The last three amino acids of alpha-MSH, a hormone involved in skin pigment and inflammation. The fragment keeps an effect in inflammation models and loses the pigment effect.
Has KPV been tested in people?
No. All published studies are in mice or cell culture.
Why is it studied for the gut?
A 2008 study found that mice given KPV by mouth had milder chemically induced colitis, and that the peptide was absorbed through a gut transporter called PepT1.
Is KPV banned in sport?
It is not named, but as an unapproved substance it falls under WADA class S0, prohibited at all times.
How is it different from BPC-157?
Different parent, different research. BPC-157 comes from a gastric protein and has a large rat literature across many tissues. KPV comes from a hormone and has a small mouse literature, mostly on the gut.
See also
References
- Hiltz ME, Lipton JM. Antiinflammatory activity of a COOH-terminal fragment of the neuropeptide alpha-MSH. FASEB J. 1989;3(11):2282–2284. PMID 2550304
- Dalmasso G, et al. PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV uptake reduces intestinal inflammation. Gastroenterology. 2008;134(1):166–178. PMID 18061177
- Kannengiesser K, et al. Melanocortin-derived tripeptide KPV has anti-inflammatory potential in murine models of inflammatory bowel disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2008;14(3):324–331.
- Xiao B, et al. Orally targeted delivery of tripeptide KPV via hyaluronic acid-functionalized nanoparticles efficiently alleviates ulcerative colitis. Mol Ther. 2017;25(7):1628–1640.
- Brzoska T, et al. Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and related tripeptides: biochemistry, antiinflammatory and protective effects in vitro and in vivo, and future perspectives for the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Endocr Rev. 2008;29(5):581–602.
- American Med Spa Association. FDA advisory committee recommends adding BPC-157 to compounding list; KPV on the docket. 23 July 2026. americanmedspa.org
- World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List, class S0. wada-ama.org
Peptidarium Library. KPV (entry 0006), revision 1.0, 2 November 2026. peptidarium.com/library/kpv
Revision history
| Rev | Date | Change | By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2 Nov 2026 | Entry created. | [Scientific editor] |
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