A three-amino-acid peptide, Lys-Pro-Val, that is the tail end of the hormone alpha-MSH and calms inflammation in cell and mouse studies. It is sold online for gut inflammation, skin, and recovery, but no human trial of KPV has ever been published, and the FDA says it has no human exposure data at all.
KPV is the last three amino acids of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone, a hormone known for anti-inflammatory as well as pigment effects. Unlike the full hormone, KPV does not seem to work through melanocortin receptors: in mice lacking a functional melanocortin 1 receptor it still reduced inflammation, and it did not raise the second messenger cAMP in macrophages. Instead it is carried into intestinal and immune cells by PepT1, a transporter for small peptides that the colon switches on during inflammatory bowel disease. Inside the cell, nanomolar amounts block the NF-kappaB and MAP kinase signals that drive cytokine production.
Taken by mouth (1/6)
KPV, the last three amino acids of the hormone alpha-MSH, is taken by mouth.
That transporter dependence cuts both ways: PepT1 is also overexpressed in colorectal tumors, and mice engineered to overexpress it grew larger colitis-associated tumors, while KPV only protected animals that had the transporter. The peptide may also act by blocking interleukin-1 beta functions rather than through any receptor. In human skin, KPV barely crosses intact skin on its own and needs microneedles or an electric current to get through. How much of an oral or injected dose reaches inflamed tissue in a person has never been measured.
KPV is sold online as an oral or injectable anti-inflammatory for inflammatory bowel disease, skin conditions, and general recovery. In mice with chemically induced colitis, KPV added to drinking water reduced inflammation and sped recovery and weight regain, and in a colitis-associated cancer model it prevented tumor formation in normal mice but not in mice lacking the PepT1 transporter. In rabbits and mice decades earlier, the tripeptide reduced fever and ear swelling. Not one of these effects has been tested in a person.
No pharmaceutical company has developed KPV, so there is no approved product, no established dose, and no human pharmacokinetic data. The FDA has identified no human exposure data for drug products containing KPV by any route and says it lacks important information about whether it would cause harm. Its advisory committee is scheduled to review KPV free base and acetate for compounding in July 2026, with wound healing and inflammatory uses listed. Health Canada names KPV among unauthorized injectable peptides it has seized.
The evidence is preclinical. Two 2008 papers showed anti-inflammatory effects in mouse colitis models, a 2016 paper tied those effects to the PepT1 transporter in a colitis-associated cancer model, a 2003 study dissected its mechanism in mouse peritonitis, and a 1989 study showed dose-related reduction of ear swelling in mice. Later work has focused on delivery systems: hydrogels, nanoparticles, and skin iontophoresis. There are no human efficacy trials, no case reports, and no registered clinical trials for KPV.
Everything about human use is unknown: whether oral KPV survives digestion, whether it reaches inflamed gut or skin in useful amounts, what dose does anything, and whether it is safe over time. The PepT1 findings raise a specific question about use in people with colon cancer risk that no study has addressed. Product identity and purity are unverified. The FDA's 2026 compounding review will be the first formal regulatory look at the evidence.
No human side effect data exist, because KPV has never been studied in people. The FDA states that it has identified no human exposure data for KPV by any route and lacks the information to know whether it would harm people. The animal studies reported benefit and did not look for toxicity. Products sold online carry the added risks of unknown identity, purity, and dose.
No regulator has approved this compound, and no company is seeking approval.
KPV is not approved by the FDA or any other regulator. The FDA notes that it has identified no human exposure data on drug products containing KPV administered by any route, and its Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee is scheduled to discuss KPV free base and acetate on July 23, 2026, a review that is not an approval. Health Canada lists KPV among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs it has seized. Nothing sold under this name has been evaluated for safety, quality, or effectiveness.