KPV (Lys-Pro-Val) is the C-terminal tripeptide of α-MSH and retains much of α-MSH's anti-inflammatory activity without pigmentary effects. Preclinical work in colitis and skin inflammation models.
KPV is the C-terminal tripeptide (lysine-proline-valine) of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH). It retains much of the parent hormone’s anti-inflammatory activity while shedding its pigmentary effects, making it a focused research tool for inflammation.
Preclinical studies report that KPV reduces pro-inflammatory signaling — in part by interfering with the NF-κB pathway — in models of colitis, skin inflammation, and oral inflammation. It is a research compound and is not FDA-approved.
NF-κB pathway inhibition; reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Behind every vial of KPV is the same exacting pipeline every research peptide runs — but the chemistry plays out differently for this molecule. Here is how KPV, specifically, is brought into being.
On paper, KPV is C16H30N4O4 — about 342.4 daltons of precisely arranged atoms. Before a single bond is made, the target sequence, salt form, and purity threshold are written down as the contract the finished material must meet.
Assembling KPV means roughly 3 coupling cycles on the synthesizer — one protected residue added at a time, which is also 3 chances for an incomplete coupling to seed a deletion impurity. It is a short sequence, which makes the build comparatively tractable — but short does not mean trivial, and purity is still won or lost downstream.
The crude mixture — KPV plus its deletions and side products — is then separated on preparative HPLC, and where the cut is taken decides the difference between a genuinely pure peptide and a barely-passable one.
A real batch of KPV proves itself: identity confirmed by mass spectrometry against its ~342.4 Da, purity read directly off an analytical HPLC trace, water and counterion content measured. That batch-specific certificate of analysis is the only honest way to know what is actually in a vial of KPV — and a short, cold, accountable chain of custody is how that purity survives the trip to your bench.
Producing KPV to a genuine purity spec means solid-phase synthesis, preparative HPLC purification, and batch quality control — none of it cheap, and none of it something you can verify by eye.
Don't judge a vial by its cake. A fluffy, good-looking lyophilized powder reflects bulking agents and freeze-drying parameters — not purity. Insist on a batch-specific certificate of analysis.
KPV is the anti-inflammatory C-terminal tripeptide of α-MSH, studied in preclinical models of colitis and skin inflammation.
KPV is the final three residues of α-MSH and keeps much of its anti-inflammatory activity without the pigmentation effect.
Inflammatory bowel disease, atopic dermatitis, and oral inflammation, primarily in preclinical models.
No — it is a research compound. This page is a research and educational reference.
Dosing protocols, mechanism, comparisons, and the latest trials — citation-backed answers grounded in PubMed, PubChem, and ClinicalTrials.gov.