KPV
Short tripeptide fragment related to alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone research.
Editorial review: August 13, 2026Evidence snapshot
This drawer marks papers. It is not a plan, a dose, or a source. A paper is a bounded report. It is not a protocol. Grades name the object. They are not a safety rating.
Identity lock. KPV is the tripeptide Lys-Pro-Val (α-MSH / ACTH C-terminal fragment 11–13). PubChem CID 125672; CAS 67727-97-3; formula C16H30N4O4 / MW 342.43. Do not use CID 13294447 (name collision with a keto-acid). No approved indication. Off-label does not apply. Most of the literature is preclinical gut-inflammation, keratinocyte, or antimicrobial work. Do not treat nanoparticle delivery papers as human UC therapy.
Bottom line
Strongest signals are mouse colitis / PepT1 uptake and related anti-inflammatory pharmacology, plus older α-MSH-fragment antimicrobial and immune papers. Controlled human efficacy for inflammatory bowel disease, skin disease, or infection is not established in this set. Little to no rigorous human interventional trial evidence is expected or found here. Mouse colitis healing is not a human gut protocol.
Papers
Gut inflammation — preclinical
PMID 18061177 — Dalmasso 2008
Tested: PepT1-mediated uptake of tripeptide KPV and reduction of intestinal inflammation in cell systems and mouse colitis models.
Does not show: a controlled human IBD trial.
PMID 18092346 — Kannengiesser 2008
Tested: melanocortin-derived tripeptide KPV in murine IBD models (DSS colitis and CD45RBhi transfer colitis), including work in mice with nonfunctional MC1R.
Does not show: human clinical remission rates.
PMID 28143741 — Xiao 2017
Tested: orally targeted hyaluronic-acid nanoparticle delivery of KPV in experimental ulcerative colitis models.
Does not show: human UC efficacy, or that free KPV equals the nanoparticle object.
PMID 19909746 — Laroui 2010
Tested: colon-targeted nanoparticle hydrogel delivery (including KPV-related anti-inflammatory peptide strategy) reducing colitis in a mouse model.
Does not show: a human clinical result.
PMID 34547895 — Sun 2021
Tested: hydrogel-stabilized KPV in TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis in rats.
Does not show: human IBD efficacy.
PMID 35245681 — Zhao 2022
Tested: KPV-binding double-network hydrogel restoring gut mucosal barrier in an inflamed colon model.
Does not show: a human trial.
Mechanistic / immune / skin cell context
PMID 12750433 — Getting 2003
Tested: dissection of anti-inflammatory effects of core α-MSH sequences versus C-terminal KPV in crystal-induced peritonitis and macrophage assays.
Does not show: a human therapeutic indication.
PMID 15102092 — Elliott 2004
Tested: α-MSH, MSH 11–13 KPV, and ACTH signaling in human keratinocyte cells (in vitro).
Does not show: a clinical dermatology trial of KPV.
PMID 10670585 — Cutuli 2000
Tested: antimicrobial effects of α-MSH peptides, including the C-terminal tripeptide, against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans in laboratory assays.
Does not show: clinical infection treatment in people.
PMID 11268348 — Catania 2000
Tested: review of α-MSH in host defense (context for fragment peptides including C-terminal sequences).
Does not show: a controlled KPV drug trial.
PMID 21222263 — Brzoska 2010
Tested: review of anti-inflammatory effects of α-MSH–related peptides beyond the classic pharmacophore (includes terminal-tripeptide discussion).
Does not show: a new human KPV RCT.
What is not established
Approved indication. Controlled human efficacy for ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, systemic inflammation, skin disease, or infection. Equivalence of free KPV, KPV-loaded nanoparticles, and parent α-MSH. Product identity for unlabeled tripeptide vials. Preclinical gut work is not human IBD efficacy.
Selected sources
18061177 18092346 28143741 19909746 34547895 35245681 12750433 15102092 10670585 11268348 21222263
Reported experiences
Inflammation, skin, digestion
Reported topics are not established benefits.Risks and unknowns
Unknown human safety, product identity and purity concerns
Compare experiences with care.
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