RESEARCH CONSOLE / LYS-PRO-VAL
KPV peptide is the C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-MSH, studied for gut and skin inflammation.
Three amino acids — lysine, proline, valine. One tidy mechanism: taken into gut cells by PepT1, it quiets NF-kB and MAP-kinase signaling. Every figure on this console is cited; every place the human data stop is marked.
The short version
Here it is in plain words. KPV peptide is the tail end of a natural hormone called alpha-MSH — just the last three building blocks, lysine, proline, and valine, used on their own. The parent hormone does two jobs: it calms inflammation and it darkens skin. KPV keeps the calming job and drops the skin-darkening one. In lab dishes and in mice it lowers the signals that drive swelling, especially in the gut, and it helped a wound in a rabbit's eye close faster. The catch: every one of those results is from cells or animals. No human trial has tested KPV, so there is no proven human dose and no human safety record. This site reads the studies straight and marks where the evidence runs out.
KPV peptide benefits in the research literature
The KPV peptide benefits reported in the research literature are anti-inflammatory, and the largest, clearest body of work is in the gut. In human intestinal epithelial cells and in mice, nanomolar KPV suppressed NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa B, a master switch that turns on dozens of inflammation genes) and MAP-kinase (a relay that carries inflammatory and stress signals inside a cell), and oral KPV reduced the severity of two chemically-induced colitis models [1]. A separate murine inflammatory-bowel-disease study reported earlier recovery, stronger body-weight regain, and lower myeloperoxidase activity — an enzyme used as a tissue marker of neutrophil infiltration — in KPV-treated mice [2].
The effect reaches beyond the gut. Topical KPV accelerated corneal wound healing in rabbits: by 60 hours, all eight corneas treated with KPV were fully re-epithelialized while none of the placebo corneas were (P<0.05) [6]. A 2025 review situates tripeptides such as KPV among agents that support wound healing and skin regeneration through anti-inflammatory and pro-repair mechanisms [10]. A broad endocrine review frames KPV as an anti-inflammatory alternative to alpha-MSH precisely because it preserves the anti-inflammatory action while lacking the pigmentary (melanogenic) effect [4].
Read the distinction carefully: these are described findings, not endorsements. The literature is mechanistic and preclinical — cells and animals — not clinical. KPV has no human efficacy outcomes, which is why this page describes what was measured in which model and never what a person should expect.
What Is KPV Peptide?
KPV peptide is a linear tripeptide — L-lysyl-L-prolyl-L-valine — that corresponds to residues 11-13, the C-terminal sequence, of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) [4]. It is not an independently circulating hormone; it is the working fragment of a larger one. Its defining property across the literature is selectivity: it carries forward alpha-MSH's anti-inflammatory activity while shedding the parent hormone's melanogenic (skin-pigmenting) action, and its anti-inflammatory effect appears largely independent of the classical melanocortin receptors — it was retained in MC1R-deficient mice [2] [3].
KPV (Lys-Pro-Val) at a Glance
KPV is three amino acids: lysine (basic, positively charged), proline (rigid, ring-shaped), and valine (small, hydrophobic). The sequence is written H-Lys-Pro-Val-OH; the synonyms alpha-MSH(11-13) and "C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-MSH" point at the same molecule. Because it is so small and unprotected, free KPV is rapidly broken down by peptidases, which is why much of the recent work wraps it in nanoparticles or hydrogels to keep it intact long enough to act [1] [5].
Lysine-Proline-Valine: Structure and Identity
The full name Lysine-Proline-Valine resolves to molecular formula C16H30N4O4, molecular weight 342.44 Da, CAS number 67727-97-3, PubChem CID 125672. Those identifiers are the unambiguous handles for the molecule — secondary web sources frequently transpose KPV's PMIDs and DOIs, so each identifier on this site was checked at its source rather than copied from an aggregator.
How KPV Works: PepT1, NF-kB, and MAP-Kinase
In the gut, KPV does not need a hormone receptor to get inside a cell. It is carried directly into intestinal epithelial cells by PepT1-mediated uptake — PepT1 (also called SLC15A1) is a di/tripeptide transporter that pulls small peptides across the gut lining, and it is upregulated in inflamed intestinal tissue, so the more inflamed the tissue, the more KPV it draws in [1]. Once inside, KPV dampens two inflammatory programs: it reduces NF-kB activation and MAP-kinase signaling, lowering the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-1beta-driven responses [1].
The melanocortin literature suggests the mechanism is distinct from the larger MSH peptides. In a crystal-induced peritonitis model, KPV reduced polymorphonuclear leukocyte accumulation but, unlike the core MSH peptides, did not suppress macrophage cytokine release — pointing to a mechanistically separate, likely IL-1beta-directed action and away from a melanocortin-receptor route [3]. For the full chain of evidence, see how KPV reduces inflammation.
Where the Evidence Stands — and Where It Stops
The honest summary: KPV's anti-inflammatory signal is reproducible across in-vitro and animal models, and the newest work is delivery chemistry — hyaluronic-acid nanoparticles, polysaccharide and double-network hydrogels, and carrier-free co-assembled nanodrugs built to stabilize the peptide and target inflamed tissue via PepT1 [5] [9] [13]. A 2024 PepT1-targeted nanodrug co-assembling KPV with the immunosuppressant FK506 improved both acute and chronic DSS colitis in mice, restoring tight-junction proteins and lowering inflammatory cytokines more than either agent alone [12].
The stop line is just as clear. There are no published human clinical trials of KPV as a standalone therapeutic, no validated human pharmacokinetics, and no approved drug or supplement status in any major jurisdiction [14]. KPV is sold by chemical suppliers for laboratory research only. For the regulatory picture — including how legally compounded peptide access works and why KPV is on the agenda of an FDA advisory-committee meeting — see KPV legal status and compounding access. For the studies behind every number on this page, see KPV study references.