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PeptideMostly animalNot FDA approved

KPV

Lysine proline valine tripeptide

Last reviewed October 27, 2026 · 25 sources · Written for general readers · Compare with another compound →

The bottom line

KPV is one of the smallest peptides people buy, just three amino acids. It calms inflammation in cells and in mice with gut inflammation, and a few studies in rabbits, rats and mice point to eye, mouth and brain injury effects.[1][2][3][4][5] When FDA searched in 2026 it found no clinical trials and no human safety data of any kind for KPV by any route.[6] An FDA advisory panel still voted in July 2026 to allow pharmacy compounding, and in October 2026 HHS said it would not act against pharmacies compounding KPV for skin or oral use, but neither step is an approval.[7][8]

Where the evidence stands

What it is

KPV is a tripeptide made of lysine, proline and valine. Its formula is C16H30N4O4 and its weight is about 342 g/mol. Its identifier is CAS 67727-97-3.[6]

It is the tail end of alpha MSH, a natural signalling molecule made in the pituitary gland. The parent hormone affects pigment and inflammation. KPV is the last three building blocks of it.[6]

It was nominated to FDA as a cream or gel for use on the skin, for wound healing and for inflamed skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. The nominator did not say what kind of wound or what base the cream would use.[6]

Much of the newer research on KPV is about packaging it, in tiny particles, gels or skin patches, because the plain peptide is fragile and is absorbed poorly.[16][13][17]

Name
KPV (Lysine proline valine tripeptide)
Other names
alpha MSH (11 to 13) fragment, Lys Pro Val
Type
Peptide
Sequence
KPV
CAS number
67727-97-3
Formula
C16H30N4O4
Molecular weight
About 342.4 g/mol

What it does in the body

KPV is a lab made chain of three amino acids, lysine, proline and valine. It matches the last three building blocks of alpha MSH, a natural hormone made in the pituitary gland that affects skin color and inflammation.[6] Its main proposed action is calming inflammation inside cells by blocking NF kappa B, a master switch for inflammation genes, rather than by switching on the melanocortin receptors the full hormone uses.[6][9]

This is the biology, area by area. A change measured in the body, like a higher blood level, does not always mean a person feels a benefit. The claims check below covers that.

Gut

Seen in animals

In several mouse models of colitis (inflamed colon), KPV given by mouth or in drinking water led to faster recovery, more weight regained and less damage and inflammation in the colon.[1][2] It is carried into gut cells by PepT1, a transporter for small food peptides that shows up in the colon during inflammatory bowel disease.[2] Packing KPV into tiny particles aimed at the colon protected mice at a concentration about 12,000 times lower than plain KPV.[10] None of this has been tested in a human gut.

Immune system

Lab finding

In human gut cells and human T cells grown in a dish, very small amounts of KPV lowered inflammatory signals.[2] In human airway cells, it blocked NF kappa B by stopping one of its parts, called p65, from moving into the cell's control center, and it cut release of inflammatory signals such as interleukin 8.[9]

Skin and hair

Lab finding

In human skin cells in a dish, KPV did not raise cAMP, the usual signal of the melanocortin receptors that control skin color.[11] Reviews describe KPV as keeping most of the anti inflammatory action of alpha MSH without its tanning effect.[12] On donor human skin in the lab, plain KPV did not pass through in measurable amounts. It got through only after the skin was pierced with microneedles, and an electric current raised that about 35 fold.[13]

Eyes

Seen in animals

In rabbits with scraped corneas (the clear front of the eye), KPV applied to the eye sped regrowth of the surface layer. All 8 treated corneas had healed fully by 60 hours, versus none of the placebo corneas. Blocking nitric oxide production cancelled the effect.[3]

Brain and mood

Seen in animals

In mice with a controlled brain injury, a single injection of KPV shrank the damaged area and reduced nerve cell death and activation of brain immune cells. It did not lower two key inflammatory signals, TNF alpha and interleukin 1 beta.[5] No study has looked at mood, focus or memory.

Infections

Lab finding

In lab dishes, KPV and a longer alpha MSH tail piece killed more than 90% of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, including methicillin resistant strains, at higher strengths, and about half at very low strengths.[14] A KPV gel built for chemotherapy mouth sores in rats was also reported to act against drug resistant staph.[4]

Fat and appetite

Seen in animals

In a 2026 study, KPV cut fat staining in mouse fat cells in a dish by about 55% and, given by mouth to mice on a high fat diet, reduced weight gain, fat growth and blood fat problems.[15] This is a single new study and has not been repeated.

How it works

The proposed mechanism comes from cell and mouse work.

  • Five pharmacology studies reported that KPV calms inflammation and helps wounds close in cells and in animals.[6]
  • The main proposal is that it blocks activation of NF kappa B, a master switch that turns on inflammation genes, by keeping a key part of it out of the cell nucleus.[6][9]
  • Laboratory work found KPV enters cells through PepT1, a transporter that normally carries small peptides from food, and that this transporter appears in the colon during inflammatory bowel disease.[2]
  • Unlike its parent hormone, KPV did not latch onto melanocortin receptors or trigger their usual signal in lab tests, and its gut benefit in mice did not depend fully on one of those receptors.[6][1][11]

These are proposals from laboratory work, not findings confirmed in people.

What the research shows

We keep animal and human evidence apart. A result in animals is a reason to study something in people, not proof that it works in people.

Animal and lab studies

Mouse gut inflammation is the clearest animal result

  • In two mouse models of colitis, KPV led to earlier recovery, more weight regained, fewer inflammatory cells and lower levels of an inflammation enzyme in the colon. In mice lacking a working melanocortin 1 receptor, it kept all treated animals alive through a chemically triggered colitis.[1]
  • In two other mouse colitis models, KPV in drinking water reduced how often colitis developed and lowered inflammation signals.[2] Later teams packed KPV into colon targeted particles and gels that protected mice and rats with colitis.[10][16]
  • In mice given chemicals that cause colitis and then colon tumors, KPV prevented tumors, but only in mice that had the PepT1 transporter.[18]
  • In rabbits, KPV applied to the eye healed scraped corneas within 60 hours in all 8 treated eyes, versus none on placebo.[3] In mice with a brain injury, one injection reduced the size of the damaged area.[5]
  • In rats with chemotherapy mouth sores, a KPV gel helped eating and weight recovery and lowered inflammatory signals.[4]
  • FDA found no absorption studies and no studies of single dose toxicity, repeat dose toxicity, gene damage, pregnancy effects or cancer risk.[6]

Limit: Results in cells, mice, rats and rabbits say nothing reliable about a cream used on human skin or a product swallowed or injected by a person.

Human studies

There are no human studies of KPV

  • FDA searched for clinical trials, absorption studies and any human exposure data for KPV by any route and found none. None of the eight articles the nominator sent involved people.[6]
  • The closest thing to human data is lab work on human cells and on donor skin, where plain KPV did not pass through intact skin in measurable amounts.[2][13]
  • FDA's adverse event database and its food complaint system returned no reports for KPV through December 2025, which FDA said cannot be read as evidence of safety, partly because compounding pharmacies generally do not report side effects.[6]
  • Registered outsourcing facilities reported no compounded KPV products between 2017 and June 2025, and FDA found no published report of compounded KPV used in people.[6]

Limit: With no human data, there is no basis for any claim about what KPV does in a person, how much is safe, or what it might do over time.

Claims check

The most common claims about this compound, and what studies actually found. Verdicts rate the evidence, not whether you should use it.

Heals the gut and calms colitis

Only in animals

In two mouse models of colitis, KPV led to earlier recovery, more weight regained and less inflammation in the colon. In mice lacking a working melanocortin 1 receptor, it kept every treated animal alive through the colitis.[1] Other teams found KPV in drinking water or in colon targeted particles reduced colitis in mice and rats.[2][10][16] No human study exists.[6]

Reduces inflammation throughout the body

Only in animals

Lab work suggests KPV blocks NF kappa B, a master switch for inflammation genes, in human gut and airway cells.[2][9] These findings come only from cells and rodents, and FDA says its true target in the body is unknown.[6]

Heals wounds and inflamed skin

Only in animals

Studies cited to FDA describe faster healing in rodent skin wound models, and KPV applied to the eye sped cornea healing in rabbits.[6][3] On donor human skin, plain KPV barely passed through.[13] A 2025 review of tripeptides for wounds found KPV work limited to lab gels and animal models.[17] No study has tested it on wounds, psoriasis or eczema in people.[6]

Fights bacteria and fungi

Only in animals

In lab dishes, KPV killed most Staphylococcus aureus cells at higher strengths.[14] A KPV gel built for chemotherapy mouth sores in rats was reported to act against drug resistant staph.[4] No fungal infection study of plain KPV turned up in our search. No human infection has been treated with it in a study.

Prevents colon cancer

Only in animals

In mice given chemicals that cause colitis and then colon tumors, KPV prevented tumors in normal mice but had no effect in mice lacking the PepT1 transporter.[18] No human cancer study exists.

Supports immunity and helps mast cell problems or Lyme disease

Not tested

FDA noted that KPV is promoted online for gut health, immune support, mast cell activation syndrome, Lyme disease and pain. None of the studies FDA reviewed tested these uses, and it found no human data of any kind.[6]

Known risks and side effects

  • No human safety record exists. FDA stated plainly that it is concerned by the complete absence of human data for KPV in any form and by any route.[6]
  • Immune reactions cannot be ruled out. Even very short peptides can clump together and set off an immune response. FDA found too little information to rule that out for either form of KPV.[6]
  • Unstable and poorly described material. In stress tests the salt form broke down into other compounds, and the plain form dissolves poorly in water. Several salts and variants are sold under the same name.[6]
  • Unregulated products. KPV is sold online and through clinics rather than through pharmacies. The quality paperwork FDA reviewed lacked tests for clumping and for microbial contamination, and no paperwork was supplied at all for one of the two forms.[6]
  • Skin conditions have proven treatments. FDA noted that approved therapies already exist for wounds and for the inflamed skin conditions KPV was nominated to treat.[6]

Regulatory status

Today: KPV is not an approved drug and is not on the FDA list of bulk substances permitted for pharmacy compounding.[19] FDA placed it in category 2, the significant safety concerns group, in September 2023.[20] The nomination was later withdrawn, and KPV now appears in an FDA table of withdrawn nominations.[21] On July 23, 2026 the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 8 to 6 with one abstention to recommend adding KPV to the 503A list, against FDA staff advice. A recommendation is not a rule, and FDA would need formal rulemaking before pharmacies could compound it.[7] On October 28, 2026 the Department of Health and Human Services filed an interim policy saying it does not plan to act against state licensed pharmacies and doctors who compound KPV and five other peptides for individual patients with a prescription.[8][22] For KPV the policy covers only KPV acetate in forms used on the skin or taken by mouth, and it requires a single active ingredient from an FDA registered maker, a quality test certificate, and reporting of serious side effects.[23] The appendix says its safety view reflects missing information rather than any known harm.[23] This is not FDA approval, and the policy lasts only until FDA finishes rulemaking.[8] KPV is not named on the 2026 or 2027 World Anti Doping Agency lists, although both ban substances with no current approval for human use in their S0 class.[24][25]

  1. FDA places KPV in category 2 of the nominated bulk substances list.[20]
  2. FDA updates its safety page. KPV appears among nominations that were withdrawn.[21]
  3. Advisory committee votes 8 to 6 with one abstention to recommend adding KPV to the 503A list. FDA staff had proposed against it.[6][7]
  4. HHS files an interim policy not to act against compounding of KPV for skin or oral use under set conditions. Comments are due about two weeks after its October 30 publication.[8][23]

Sources

  1. Kannengiesser K, Maaser C, Heidemann J, 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. PMID 18092346
  2. Dalmasso G, Charrier-Hisamuddin L, Nguyen HT, Yan Y, Sitaraman S, Merlin D. PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV uptake reduces intestinal inflammation. Gastroenterology. 2008;134(1):166-178. PMID 18061177
  3. Bonfiglio V, et al. Effects of the COOH-terminal tripeptide alpha-MSH(11-13) on corneal epithelial wound healing: role of nitric oxide. Exp Eye Res. 2006. PMID 16965771
  4. Shao W, et al. In situ mucoadhesive hydrogel capturing tripeptide KPV: the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and repairing effect on chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis. Biomater Sci. 2021. PMID 34846053
  5. Schaible EV, et al. Single administration of tripeptide alpha-MSH(11-13) attenuates brain damage by reduced inflammation and apoptosis after experimental traumatic brain injury in mice. PLoS One. 2013;8(8):e71056. PMID 23940690
  6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Briefing Document for KPV-Related Bulk Drug Substances. Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee Meeting, July 23-24, 2026. FDA briefing document
  7. Steinzor P. FDA Panel Backs 6 Peptides for Compounding. The American Journal of Managed Care. July 31, 2026. PCAC vote coverage
  8. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary. Enforcement Discretion Policy Regarding 503A Compounding Using Certain Peptide Bulk Drug Substances. Docket HHS-OASH-2026-0496. Filed for public inspection October 28, 2026; Federal Register document 2026-22192, publication October 30, 2026. FR Doc. 2026-22192
  9. Land SC. Inhibition of cellular and systemic inflammation cues in human bronchial epithelial cells by melanocortin-related peptides: mechanism of KPV action and a role for MC3R agonists. Int J Physiol Pathophysiol Pharmacol. 2012. PMID 22837805
  10. Laroui H, et al. Drug-loaded nanoparticles targeted to the colon with polysaccharide hydrogel reduce colitis in a mouse model. Gastroenterology. 2010. PMID 19909746
  11. Elliott RJ, et al. alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone, MSH 11-13 KPV and adrenocorticotropic hormone signalling in human keratinocyte cells. J Invest Dermatol. 2004. PMID 15102092
  12. Brzoska T, et al. Terminal signal: anti-inflammatory effects of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone related peptides beyond the pharmacophore. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2010. PMID 21222263
  13. Pawar K, et al. Transdermal Iontophoretic Delivery of Lysine-Proline-Valine (KPV) Peptide Across Microporated Human Skin. J Pharm Sci. 2017. PMID 28343991
  14. Singh M, et al. C-terminal amino acids of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone are requisite for its antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2011;55(5):1920-1929. PMID 21282427
  15. An SH, et al. KPV attenuates adipogenesis and lipid metabolism through modulation of ROS-mediated AKT/mTORC1/PPARgamma signaling. Tissue Cell. 2026. PMID 42585803
  16. Xiao B, et al. Orally Targeted Delivery of Tripeptide KPV via Hyaluronic Acid-Functionalized Nanoparticles Efficiently Alleviates Ulcerative Colitis. Mol Ther. 2017. PMID 28143741
  17. Adnan SB, et al. Exploring the Role of Tripeptides in Wound Healing and Skin Regeneration: A Comprehensive Review. Int J Med Sci. 2025. PMID 41209547
  18. Viennois E, et al. Critical role of PepT1 in promoting colitis-associated cancer and therapeutic benefits of the anti-inflammatory PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV in a murine model. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016. PMID 27458604
  19. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Updated May 14, 2026. FDA 503A bulks list
  20. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Updated September 29, 2023. FDA document, copy hosted by the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding. FDA list update, Sept 2023
  21. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. Content current as of April 22, 2026. FDA category 2 page
  22. Steinzor P. 5 Things to Know About HHS's Interim Peptide Compounding Policy. The American Journal of Managed Care. October 29, 2026. Policy coverage
  23. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 503A Peptide Enforcement Discretion Policy, Appendix B: peptide identity and route limits. October 2026. HHS policy appendix
  24. World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List. Effective 1 January 2026. WADA 2026 List
  25. World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2027 Prohibited List. Comes into effect 1 January 2027. WADA 2027 List
Medical disclaimer

This page is educational information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace care from a licensed medical provider. Do not use this page to decide whether to take any substance. Talk to a licensed medical provider first.

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