KPV

Research-Grade

KPV (Lys-Pro-Val) is the C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH). Reviews describe it as retaining α-MSH's anti-inflammatory effect while lacking its pigmentary action, which is why it has been proposed as an alternative to the full hormone for inflammatory disease. In intestinal epithelial and immune cells, nanomolar KPV inhibited NF-κB and MAP kinase inflammatory signaling and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion; its uptake depends on the PepT1 di/tripeptide transporter, which is induced in the inflamed colon. Given in drinking water, KPV reduced DSS- and TNBS-induced colitis in mice. A 2017 study in *Molecular Therapy* loaded KPV into hyaluronic-acid-functionalized nanoparticles; given orally in a hydrogel, they delivered KPV to colonic cells, reduced TNF-α, and improved mucosal healing in a mouse ulcerative colitis model. Reviewers have also proposed KPV for inflammatory skin, lung, eye and joint disease, but these remain hypotheses. All published evidence is preclinical; we found no published human clinical trials.