What is KPV?
KPV is the tripeptide Lys-Pro-Val. It is the last three residues of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH). Alpha-MSH is a 13-residue peptide cut from proopiomelanocortin. Papers from the 1980s onward call KPV alpha-MSH(11-13) or the C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-MSH. Interest in the fragment began with fever studies. Rabbits were made febrile with leukocytic pyrogen. KPV was then given centrally or peripherally. It showed part of the parent peptide's antipyretic activity, but was less potent.
The authors read this as evidence that residues 11 to 13 carry part of the message sequence (Richards and Lipton, 1984). Later work found that KPV keeps much of the parent peptide's activity in inflammation models. It does so without the pigmentary effect. It also does not seem to work through the classical melanocortin receptors. Disguised Alpha supplies KPV as a lyophilized powder for laboratory research use only. Nothing on this page is guidance for use in people.
KPV reference data
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | KPV |
| Aliases | Lys-Pro-Val, alpha-MSH(11-13), ACTH(11-13) (PubChem CID 125672) |
| Sequence | Lys-Pro-Val (L-lysyl-L-prolyl-L-valine, PubChem CID 125672) |
| Peptide class | Tripeptide, C-terminal fragment of alpha-MSH |
| Molecular formula | C₁₆H₃₀N₄O₄ |
| Molecular weight | 342.43 g/mol |
| CAS number | 67727-97-3 (PubChem CID 125672; the product page lists formula and molecular weight, not a CAS number) |
| Parent peptide | Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, residues 11 to 13 |
| Form | Lyophilized powder |
| Size carried | 10MG |
| Testing | Third-party tested, with the certificate for each lot published on the product page and in the COA portal |
Formula, molecular weight and size come from the KPV product page. The CAS number, sequence and aliases come from PubChem. Check identity and measured content against your lot's certificate.
What the research covers
Published work on KPV falls into six areas. Each summary below states the model used. The indexed papers are preclinical throughout. They cover cell culture, rodent and rabbit models, plus formulation chemistry. No controlled human trials of KPV appear in PubMed. And a large share of the gut work comes from one lab group.
Early fragment studies in rodents and rabbits
The rabbit fever work came first (Richards and Lipton, 1984). The same lab then ran a mouse study. It tested graded amounts of KPV in picryl chloride-induced ear swelling. It compared them with saline and with a large amount of corticosteroid. KPV cut swelling in a concentration-related way. The authors read this as evidence of general anti-inflammatory activity for this part of alpha-MSH (Hiltz and Lipton, 1989).
Cell-culture signaling
One study used RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma. Alpha-MSH, alpha-MSH(1-10) and alpha-MSH(11-13) all cut nitric oxide production. All three also cut nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB. Radioligand binding showed melanocortin-1 receptor sites on these cells. The full peptide and the 1-10 fragment competed for these sites. The 11-13 tripeptide did not, even at millimolar levels. It also did not raise cyclic AMP (Mandrika et al., 2001).
In human keratinocytes, neither alpha-MSH nor KPV raised cyclic AMP. But both caused rapid calcium transients inside the cells (Elliott et al., 2004). In immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells, KPV cut NF-kappaB reporter activity and chemokine secretion. The authors tied its action to interference with nuclear import of p65RelA, not to a melanocortin receptor (Land, 2012).
Receptor independence in vivo
A mouse study of crystal-induced peritonitis compared KPV with alpha-MSH. It also included the core melanocortin peptide and receptor-selective agonists. KPV lowered leukocyte accumulation. A melanocortin-3/4 receptor antagonist did not block this drop. In vitro, unlike the core peptides, KPV did not raise cyclic AMP. Nor did it curb macrophage cytokine release.
Its effect still held in mice with a non-functional melanocortin-1 receptor (Getting et al., 2003). A broad review of alpha-MSH and its tripeptides places this work in context. It notes that the missing pigmentary effect is the main reason the fragment has been pursued (Brzoska et al., 2008).
Intestinal models and peptide transport
The most developed line of work concerns the gut. In human intestinal epithelial and T cell lines, nanomolar levels of KPV cut NF-kappaB and MAP kinase signaling. It also cut cytokine secretion. Uptake tests with labeled peptide showed transport by PepT1. This is a di- and tripeptide transporter that is induced in inflamed colon. Given by mouth, KPV also lessened the severity of two chemically induced colitis models in mice (Dalmasso et al., 2008).
An outside German group studied two murine colitis models. It reported less weight loss, histological inflammation and myeloperoxidase activity. This included mice with a non-functional melanocortin-1 receptor (Kannengiesser et al., 2008). Follow-up work from the first group studied colitis-associated tumor formation in mice. It found that tumor formation tracked PepT1 expression. KPV lowered it in wild-type but not PepT1-deficient mice (Viennois et al., 2016).
Delivery and formulation
Free KPV is cleared and broken down quickly. So much of the recent work is on formulation. In one mouse colitis model, nanoparticles were released in the colon from an alginate and chitosan hydrogel. They carried the peptide to colonocytes. The peptide concentration was roughly four orders of magnitude below the free solution used for comparison (Laroui et al., 2010).
Hyaluronic acid-functionalized nanoparticles of about 272 nm were tested in the same model. They were reported to reach epithelial cells and macrophages (Xiao et al., 2017). Negatively charged double-network hydrogels were used to hold the peptide against inflamed colonic mucosa in rats (Zhao et al., 2022).
Other models and analytical chemistry
Reported work outside the gut spans several models. One is rabbit corneal epithelium after mechanical abrasion. There, topical use was linked to faster closure. A nitric oxide synthase inhibitor blocked the effect (Bonfiglio et al., 2006). Another is a controlled cortical impact model in mice. The peptide was given once, systemically. This was followed by smaller lesion volume and less microglial activation (Schaible et al., 2013).
There are also in vitro antimicrobial assays against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans (Cutuli et al., 2000). And one study covers 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation with a high-fat-diet mouse arm (An et al., 2026). A validated stability-indicating HPLC method found lys-pro-diketopiperazine to be the major degradation product. It formed under acid, alkali and peroxide stress (Pawar et al., 2015).
Key studies
- Richards DB, Lipton JM. "Effect of alpha-MSH 11-13 (lysine-proline-valine) on fever in the rabbit." Peptides. 1984. PMID 6333677. DOI 10.1016/0196-9781(84)90027-5. Rabbit model: antipyretic activity of the C-terminal tripeptide.
- Hiltz ME, Lipton JM. "Antiinflammatory activity of a COOH-terminal fragment of the neuropeptide alpha-MSH." FASEB J. 1989. PMID 2550304. Mouse model: picryl chloride-induced ear swelling across graded amounts.
- Cutuli M, et al. "Antimicrobial effects of alpha-MSH peptides." J Leukoc Biol. 2000. PMID 10670585. DOI 10.1002/jlb.67.2.233. In vitro: colony formation and germ tube assays with human neutrophil killing.
- Mandrika I, et al. "Effects of melanocortin peptides on lipopolysaccharide/interferon-gamma-induced NF-kappaB DNA binding and nitric oxide production in macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells: evidence for dual mechanisms of action." Biochem Pharmacol. 2001. PMID 11239505. DOI 10.1016/s0006-2952(00)00583-9. Macrophage cell line: NF-kappaB translocation, nitric oxide and receptor binding.
- Getting SJ, et al. "Dissection of the anti-inflammatory effect of the core and C-terminal (KPV) alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone peptides." J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2003. PMID 12750433. DOI 10.1124/jpet.103.051623. Mouse peritonitis model plus macrophage culture: evidence against melanocortin receptor mediation.
- 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. DOI 10.1016/j.exer.2006.07.014. Rabbit cornea and rabbit corneal epithelial cell culture.
- Dalmasso G, et al. "PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV uptake reduces intestinal inflammation." Gastroenterology. 2008. PMID 18061177. DOI 10.1053/j.gastro.2007.10.026. Human cell lines and two mouse colitis models: transporter-dependent uptake.
- Kannengiesser K, et al. "Melanocortin-derived tripeptide KPV has anti-inflammatory potential in murine models of inflammatory bowel disease." Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2008. PMID 18092346. DOI 10.1002/ibd.20334. Two murine colitis models including melanocortin-1 receptor mutant mice.
- Pawar KR, et al. "Stability-indicating HPLC assay for lysine-proline-valine (KPV) in aqueous solutions and skin homogenates." Biomed Chromatogr. 2015. PMID 25298219. DOI 10.1002/bmc.3347. Analytical chemistry: validated method and identification of the main degradation product.
- Xiao B, et al. "Orally Targeted Delivery of Tripeptide KPV via Hyaluronic Acid-Functionalized Nanoparticles Efficiently Alleviates Ulcerative Colitis." Mol Ther. 2017. PMID 28143741. DOI 10.1016/j.ymthe.2016.11.020. Formulation and mouse colitis model: particle characterization and cellular targeting.
Handling and storage of lyophilized KPV
General lab practice for this material:
- Store the lyophilized powder at -20°C, protected from light, until use. Storage guidance is on the product page.
- Let the sealed vial reach room temperature before opening. This keeps moisture from condensing on the powder.
- Under acid, alkaline and oxidative stress, KPV forms lys-pro-diketopiperazine as the major degradation product. A validated reversed-phase HPLC method separates the intact peptide from it (Pawar et al., 2015). Keep stock solutions near neutral pH and away from peroxides.
- Stability in warm aqueous solution is limited. That is why several groups hold the peptide in hydrogels for in vivo work (Zhao et al., 2022). Make working solutions fresh for long incubations.
- After reconstitution, keep solutions at 2 to 8°C and protected from light. Split stock into single-use aliquots to avoid freeze/thaw cycles.
- Record the lot number and keep its certificate with your notes. For quantitative work, use the measured content and formula on the certificate, not the label mass.
Frequently asked questions
What is KPV?
KPV is the tripeptide Lys-Pro-Val. It matches residues 11 to 13 of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. It is studied in macrophage and epithelial cell culture. Other models include rodent colitis, peritonitis and brain injury, plus rabbit fever and cornea. Formulation chemistry is a further area.
Does KPV act on melanocortin receptors?
The published evidence points away from that. KPV did not compete for melanocortin-1 receptor binding sites on macrophages. Nor did it raise cyclic AMP (Mandrika et al., 2001). In peritonitis, a melanocortin-3/4 receptor antagonist did not block its effect. The effect also held in mice with a non-functional melanocortin-1 receptor (Getting et al., 2003). And in intestinal cells, uptake ran through the peptide transporter PepT1 (Dalmasso et al., 2008).
What is the difference between KPV and alpha-MSH?
Alpha-MSH is a 13-residue peptide, and KPV is its last three residues. Reviews note that KPV keeps activity in inflammation models. Yet it lacks the pigmentary effect of the parent peptide. That is the reason it has been studied on its own (Brzoska et al., 2008).
Why do sources list different molecular weights for KPV?
The free tripeptide on the product page (C₁₆H₃₀N₄O₄) is 342.43 g/mol. PubChem lists the same figure for CID 125672. Suppliers often ship peptides as acetate or trifluoroacetate salts, which add mass. Some listings quote a salt form or a rounded figure. For quantitative work, use the formula and measured content on your lot's certificate.
How should KPV powder be stored?
Keep the lyophilized powder at -20°C and protected from light. After reconstitution, store the solution at 2 to 8°C, protected from light. Avoid freeze/thaw cycles. These are the conditions listed on the product page.
Where can researchers buy KPV?
Disguised Alpha sells it for laboratory research. It is third-party tested, with the certificate published on the product page: KPV (10MG).
Related compounds and guides
- GHK-Cu / KPV: the copper tripeptide combined with KPV.
- KLOW (GHK-Cu / BPC-157 / TB-500 / KPV).
- BPC-157 / KPV blend.
- GHK-Cu research guide
- BPC-157 research guide
- KLOW research guide
- COA portal: every published certificate, by lot.
This product is for research use only. It has not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness in humans. Not for human consumption. All products are intended for laboratory research purposes only.