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What it is
KPV is short for lysine-proline-valine, the final three amino acids of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Researchers separated this small fragment from the larger hormone to study whether it could retain anti-inflammatory activity without alpha-MSH's pigment-related effects.
The strongest published work involves intestinal cells and mouse models of colitis. Other laboratory studies have examined inflammatory-cell movement and direct activity against bacteria and yeast. KPV is not an FDA-approved drug, and published human efficacy trials were not found.
What people research it for
Reduced intestinal inflammation
Animal studiesKPV reduced inflammatory signaling and tissue injury in cell experiments and several chemically induced mouse colitis models. No controlled human trial has established the same effect.
Lower inflammatory-cell recruitment
Animal studiesIn mouse peritonitis models, KPV reduced the accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes through a mechanism that appeared different from standard melanocortin receptor signaling.
Possible activity in colitis-associated cancer models
Animal studiesKPV reduced tumor development in a mouse model driven by chronic colitis, and the effect depended on PepT1. This is prevention research in mice, not evidence that KPV treats human cancer.
Antimicrobial activity in laboratory tests
Preclinical / theorizedAlpha-MSH and its KPV fragment inhibited Staphylococcus aureus colony formation and reduced Candida albicans viability in laboratory experiments. Clinical infection outcomes have not been tested.
How it works
In intestinal research, KPV can enter cells through peptide transporter 1, usually called PepT1. Cell experiments found that it reduced activation of NF-kappa B and MAP kinase pathways, which help switch on inflammatory cytokines. Inflamed colon tissue can express more PepT1 than healthy colon tissue, making that transporter an interesting research target.
KPV does not appear to work simply as a miniature version of alpha-MSH. Mouse and cell studies found anti-inflammatory effects even when melanocortin receptor signaling was absent or nonfunctional. Different experiments instead point to PepT1-dependent uptake and interference with interleukin-1 beta signaling, but the full mechanism remains unsettled.
What the research actually shows
A 2008 Gastroenterology study tested KPV in human intestinal epithelial cells, human T cells, and two mouse models of colitis. In Caco2-BBE cells, 10 nanomolar KPV reduced IL-1 beta-triggered NF-kappa B activity and cut the induced rise in IL-8 messenger RNA by about 35 percent. Oral KPV also reduced inflammatory findings in DSS and TNBS mouse colitis. The experiments linked uptake to PepT1, but they did not enroll people with inflammatory bowel disease.
A separate 2008 study used DSS colitis and CD45RB-high transfer colitis in mice. KPV-treated animals recovered body weight earlier, had less inflammatory-cell infiltration, and showed lower colonic myeloperoxidase activity. In mice with a nonfunctional melanocortin-1 receptor, all KPV-treated animals survived the DSS experiment, suggesting that at least part of the effect did not require that receptor.
A 2003 mouse study compared KPV with several melanocortin peptides in crystal-induced and interleukin-1 beta-induced peritonitis. Systemic KPV reduced polymorphonuclear leukocyte accumulation, yet it did not increase cyclic AMP or suppress the tested macrophage cytokines in vitro. The authors concluded that KPV's anti-inflammatory action differed from the receptor-mediated action of the larger melanocortin peptides.
In a 2016 colitis-associated cancer study, researchers induced tumors with azoxymethane and DSS. KPV reduced tumorigenesis in wild-type mice but not in PepT1-knockout mice, supporting a PepT1-dependent effect. The work also found higher PepT1 expression in human colorectal tumor biopsy samples, but the KPV intervention itself was tested in mice, not in patients.
Earlier laboratory work found that alpha-MSH and KPV inhibited Staphylococcus aureus colony formation and reduced Candida albicans viability and germ-tube formation across a broad concentration range. Those were culture and immune-cell experiments. They do not show that KPV can prevent or treat an infection in a person.
Taken together, the evidence is coherent enough to justify continued research, particularly in gut inflammation. It is still preclinical: there is no established human pharmacokinetic profile, therapeutic benefit, long-term safety record, or approved formulation for KPV.
Handling & storage
Storage at a glance
Vendor consensus- Lyophilized
- -20°C
- Vendor consensus with no public compound-specific stability assay.
- Reconstituted
- 2 to 8°C
- Use within 28 days
- Repeated vendor guidance, not a validated pharmaceutical expiry.
- Light
- Protect from light and moisture.
- Room temperature
- No compound-specific excursion period was found.
- Reconstitution
- bacteriostatic water or study-specific buffer
- Follow the supplier's laboratory instructions and avoid shaking.
Basis: Vendor consensus. Sources: Palmetto Peptides KPV storage guide, Real Peptides KPV stability guide, PSPeptides KPV product storage
The checked suppliers agree on frozen storage for dry, lyophilized KPV, typically around -20°C, with protection from light and moisture. No public compound-specific stability assay was found, so these values are vendor consensus rather than a pharmaceutical expiry.
The same sources commonly list refrigerated storage at 2 to 8°C after reconstitution and a 28-day working window. That repeated guidance is useful laboratory context, but it has not been validated for every vial, buffer, concentration, or sterility condition. No reliable room-temperature excursion period or human half-life was found.
Safety & cautions
KPV has not completed the human trials needed to define adverse effects, interactions, or a safe exposure range. Results from cells and mice cannot establish safety in people, even when a peptide is derived from a naturally occurring hormone.
The research-vial market adds separate risks involving identity, purity, fill accuracy, sterility, and endotoxin contamination. A stated purity percentage or vendor handling window does not turn a vial into an approved medicine.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, childhood, immune disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, liver or kidney disease, and use with immunosuppressive drugs have not been adequately studied. KPV should not be treated as a substitute for established medical care for inflammation, infection, or cancer.
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Frequently asked questions
Is KPV FDA approved?
No. KPV is not FDA approved to treat inflammatory bowel disease, skin conditions, infection, cancer, or any other condition.
What does KPV stand for?
KPV names its three amino acids: lysine, proline, and valine. It is also called alpha-MSH(11-13) because it forms the final three amino acids of alpha-MSH.
Has KPV been tested in humans?
Published human efficacy trials were not found. The most relevant evidence comes from human cell lines and animal models, not clinical treatment studies.
Why is KPV studied for gut inflammation?
KPV can be transported into intestinal and immune cells by PepT1. In cell and mouse studies, that uptake was associated with lower inflammatory signaling and less severe experimental colitis.
Does KPV work through melanocortin receptors?
Not exclusively, and perhaps not primarily in the best-studied models. Several experiments found effects when melanocortin receptor signaling was blocked or nonfunctional, while other work supported PepT1-dependent uptake.
Does KPV have antimicrobial effects?
Laboratory studies found activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. That is not evidence that KPV safely treats infections in people.
How should laboratory KPV be stored?
The checked vendors agree on dry storage around -20°C and refrigerated storage at 2 to 8°C after reconstitution, commonly for up to 28 days. These are vendor-consensus figures, not a validated drug label.
Sources
- Dalmasso et al., PepT1-mediated KPV uptake and intestinal inflammation
- Kannengiesser et al., KPV in murine inflammatory bowel disease models
- Getting et al., KPV anti-inflammatory effects in mouse peritonitis
- Viennois et al., PepT1 and KPV in colitis-associated cancer
- Cutuli et al., antimicrobial effects of alpha-MSH peptides
- Palmetto Peptides KPV storage guide
- Real Peptides KPV stability guide
- PSPeptides KPV product storage
Last reviewed September 17, 2026. This guide is educational and research-focused, not medical advice. KPV products referenced on PeptidePub are sold by third parties as materials for laboratory research use only, not for human or animal consumption.
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