KPV
KPV is the minimal active fragment of alpha-MSH(11-13), studied for its anti-inflammatory activity independent of the melanocortin receptor's pigmentation effects.
Part of KYIN Peptides' standard catalogue — see the product page for pricing.
What Is KPV?
KPV's research history begins with alpha-MSH (alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone), a molecule long known for its role in skin pigmentation. Starting in the 1980s, researchers including Anna Catania and James Lipton at Weill Cornell Medical College ran a systematic series of studies showing that alpha-MSH could also reduce fever, suppress inflammatory responses, and modulate immune cell activity — effects that had nothing to do with pigmentation at all. That raised an obvious question: which part of the molecule was actually responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity? By testing progressively smaller fragments of alpha-MSH, researchers found that its C-terminal tripeptide — lysine-proline-valine, or KPV — retained most or all of the parent hormone's anti-inflammatory potency on its own. Hiltz and Lipton's 1989 publication was the key demonstration of this. See its full discovery history.
Research Focus
Roughly two dozen published studies examined KPV specifically between 2001 and 2025, most focused on its ability to interrupt inflammatory signaling in tissues like the gut, lungs, and skin — building directly on the Weill Cornell group's original anti-inflammatory findings. It sits in KYIN's Healing & Recovery category alongside BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK-Cu, and is combined with all three in our KLOW Blend. See our Healing & Recovery research overview, or how it compares to GHK-Cu, BPC-157, and TB-500.
- Anti-inflammatory mechanism research
- Gut inflammation models
- Cytokine signaling research
Clinical & Preclinical Trial Data
No human trials have been conducted. The strongest preclinical evidence comes from Dalmasso et al., who found that oral KPV reduced disease activity and inflammation in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease, consistent with the anti-inflammatory mechanism first characterized by Catania and Lipton's group.
In July 2026, an FDA advisory committee recommended KPV for the 503A compounding bulks list — a non-binding vote, not FDA drug approval. Read what it actually means →
Availability
KPV is part of KYIN Peptides' standard catalogue — see the product page for pricing, or contact us to order.
KPV questions
What is KPV?
KPV (lysine-proline-valine) is the C-terminal tripeptide fragment of alpha-MSH, identified by Hiltz and Lipton in 1989 as retaining most or all of the parent hormone's anti-inflammatory potency without its pigmentation effects. It is studied for anti-inflammatory activity independent of the melanocortin receptor's pigmentation role.
Has KPV been tested in human trials?
No human trials have been conducted. The strongest preclinical evidence comes from Dalmasso et al., who found that oral KPV reduced disease activity and inflammation in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease, consistent with the anti-inflammatory mechanism first characterized by Catania and Lipton's group.
Does KYIN Peptides sell KPV?
Yes — KPV is part of our standard catalogue, both individually and in our KLOW Blend. See the product pages for pricing.
Interested in KPV?
See pricing and order on the product page, or browse our other healing & recovery peptides.