HOLOGRAPHIC RESEARCH READOUT / LYS-PRO-VAL · alpha-MSH(11-13)
KPV peptide is the C-terminal alpha-MSH tripeptide studied for anti-inflammatory and skin-repair signaling.
Three amino acids, one defining trait: it keeps alpha-MSH's anti-inflammatory action and loses its pigmentary effect. A cited readout of the gut, skin, and immune literature on Lys-Pro-Val.
The short version
KPV peptide is a tiny molecule made of three building blocks — lysine, proline, and valine — clipped from the tail end of a natural skin-and-stress hormone called alpha-MSH (alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a signal the body makes that both calms inflammation and darkens skin pigment). KPV keeps the calming, anti-inflammatory part and drops the tanning part. Most of what we know comes from cells in a dish and from mice, where KPV lowered gut inflammation and helped wounds close. There are no human trials. It is sold for laboratory research only, not for people.
What the KPV peptide literature has established
KPV is the C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-MSH — the three residues (lysine-proline-valine, positions 11 to 13) at the tail of the hormone — and it retains the parent hormone's anti-inflammatory activity while lacking its pigmentary (skin-darkening) action [4]. That single trait, anti-inflammation without pigmentation, is the defining fact of the literature and the reason researchers study the fragment instead of the whole hormone [4].
The mechanism is consistent across models. KPV dampens inflammation mainly by suppressing NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa B, a master switch that turns on pro-inflammatory genes) and MAP-kinase (MAPK, a relay enzyme for stress and inflammation signals), which lowers the output of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-1beta [1]. In the gut, KPV is pulled directly into the cells lining the intestine by PepT1 (SLC15A1, a transporter that ferries small di- and tripeptides into epithelial cells), which is itself increased in inflamed tissue [1].
The largest body of evidence is in the gut. In human intestinal epithelial cells, KPV at 10 nM reduced NF-kB and MAPK activation and cut pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion; in mice, oral KPV delivered at 100 uM in drinking water reduced the severity of chemically induced (DSS and TNBS) colitis [1]. A separate group reported that KPV-treated mice in the DSS colitis model recovered earlier, regained body weight more strongly, and showed lower colonic inflammatory infiltrate and myeloperoxidase activity — and that the effect was retained in MC1R-deficient mice, indicating it does not require the classic melanocortin receptor [2].
The skin and wound-repair record is the second cluster. Topical KPV (the alpha-MSH 11-13 fragment) at 1, 5, or 10 mg/mL re-epithelialized rabbit corneas completely by 60 hours — 8 of 8 treated corneas versus none of the placebo-treated corneas [6]. In human keratinocyte (skin-cell) systems, the fragment reproduced the anti-inflammatory signaling of full alpha-MSH [7], and a 2025 study found the Lysine-Proline-Valine peptide reduced fine-dust (airborne particulate-matter) damage to skin cells [9].
What is KPV peptide?
KPV peptide is the linear tripeptide lysine-proline-valine (Lys-Pro-Val), corresponding to residues 11 to 13 — the C-terminal sequence — of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone [4]. Its molecular formula is C16H30N4O4 and its molecular weight is 342.44 Da; the CAS registry number is 67727-97-3. It is studied as a melanocortin-derived anti-inflammatory peptide and has no approved human indication [9].
What is KPV peptide?
KPV is the linear tripeptide lysine-proline-valine (Lys-Pro-Val), residues 11-13 (the C-terminal sequence) of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, studied as a melanocortin-derived anti-inflammatory peptide [4]. It is not an independently circulating hormone — it corresponds to a fragment of the larger alpha-MSH molecule [4].
What is KPV?
KPV is shorthand for the tripeptide lysine-proline-valine, the C-terminal fragment (residues 11-13) of alpha-MSH, studied as an anti-inflammatory research peptide that lacks the parent hormone's pigmentary effect [4]. The same loss of pigmentary action is what distinguishes it from melanocortin compounds used in pigmentation research [4].
Lysine-Proline-Valine: the alpha-MSH(11-13) sequence
Lysine-Proline-Valine is the full name of the sequence written as H-Lys-Pro-Val-OH, the three-residue C-terminal tail of alpha-MSH [4]. Naming it out in full matters because the field consistently reports it two ways — KPV (the single-letter shorthand) and Lysine-Proline-Valine — and because the structural identity is the whole story: the fragment carries the hormone's anti-inflammatory signaling without its melanogenic, pigment-producing activity [4]. A 2025 keratinocyte study published under the "Lysine-Proline-Valine peptide" name reported reduced fine-dust-induced cell death and inflammation in skin cells, illustrating that the synonym appears in current literature, not only in older work [9].
KPV at a glance
KPV is a three-residue peptide (Lys-Pro-Val) with a molecular weight of 342.44 Da, derived from residues 11-13 of alpha-MSH [4]. Its evidence base spans three research systems: gut/colitis (the largest), skin and wound repair, and broader immune and antimicrobial signaling [4]. The mechanism is largely melanocortin-receptor-independent and centers on NF-kB and MAPK suppression plus PepT1-mediated uptake in the gut [1][2]. There are zero published human clinical trials and no validated human pharmacokinetics [1].
What is KPV peptide good for?
In research models KPV is studied mainly as an anti-inflammatory tripeptide, with the largest evidence base in gut and colitis models and additional work in skin, wound healing, and epithelial signaling [1][6]. Oral KPV reduced colitis severity in mice, and topical KPV accelerated corneal wound closure in rabbits [1][6]. It is research-only with no validated human use [1].
What does KPV peptide do?
In research models KPV dampens inflammation, primarily by suppressing NF-kB and MAP-kinase signaling and reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine production [1]. In the gut it is taken up directly into epithelial cells via the PepT1 transporter, which is increased in inflamed tissue [1].
What is KPV peptide used for?
Research uses cluster around intestinal inflammation and colitis (its largest literature), anti-inflammatory and immune signaling, wound healing, skin, and antimicrobial activity [1][4]. There is no approved human indication [9]. You can read the full record in our KPV research findings and the formulation work in our KPV peptide dosage in studies.
What is KPV used for?
In the research literature KPV is used to study anti-inflammatory signaling, intestinal inflammation via PepT1 uptake, wound healing, skin protection, and epithelial barrier function [1][6]. It has no approved human use [9].