Peptide Field Book

Reading settings

Choose a comfortable text size and appearance. Your choices are saved on this device.

KPV

Taken to calm inflammation

α-MSH fragment 11–13

Match every finding to its exact substance, formulation, route and study population. A related molecule or approved medicine does not validate a catalog vial.

Animal / laboratory evidence
KPV
Schematic illustration · View structure evidenceKPV
Color key
NonpolarAromaticPositive chargeNegative chargePolar Copper ion D-form or non-natural

At a glance

Why people take it. And what backs it up.

  1. Calm gut inflammation

    Animal studies only

    Taken by capsule or shot to calm gut inflammation, including colitis and Crohn’s disease.

    Sources (4)
  2. Calm skin flare-ups

    Lab studies only

    Users take it for psoriasis and other inflamed skin, with mixed results so far.

    Sources (3)
  3. Settle allergies and histamine

    People report it, not studied

    People with mast-cell disorders or histamine problems take it hoping to calm allergy-like flares, often starting with tiny doses.

    Sources (3)
  4. Ease copper-peptide shot sting

    People report it, not studied

    Often mixed into GHK-Cu copper-peptide injections, because users say it takes away their sting.

    Sources (2)

Evidence briefing

Sources checked

What the sources support.

KPV is the Lys-Pro-Val tripeptide fragment of alpha-MSH. Anti-inflammatory findings are from cell and mouse-colitis studies; no human clinical trial was identified. The July 2026 PCAC recommendation is for compounding-list consideration, not drug approval.

Keep in mind

Mouse oral findings do not establish human absorption, efficacy, dose or safety; FDA compounding review is separate from drug approval.

Identity and research status reviewRead the original sources

The research. What’s been studied.

  • Animal & lab studies

    Mouse colitis models

    Oral KPV reduced inflammation in mouse colitis models; this does not establish an oral treatment effect in people.

  • Animal & lab studies

    Cell signaling

    Cell studies report effects on NF-κB and inflammatory signaling; clinical benefit has not been established.

  • Unverified

    Human evidence

    No human clinical trial of KPV was identified.

What do these labels mean?
  • Human evidence: approved-drug data or larger human studies, within the populations and uses studied.
  • Early human studies: small, preliminary or limited human studies.
  • Animal & lab studies: animal or laboratory findings that do not establish effects in people.
  • Unverified: a proposed use or claim without verified supporting clinical evidence.
How each claim was reviewed (4)

Reported effects and evidence.

A citation may support, qualify or correct a claim. Read the study scope; a laboratory result is not an established benefit in people. Each review covers a claim as it was first collected; the tiles above show the collection’s current wording.

  1. Preclinical mouse colitis experiment

    Review of “Calms gut inflammation”

    KPV reduced inflammation and histological injury in mouse colitis models.

    Limitations and applicability. Animal-scoped detail is appropriate; title should keep model visible.

    Original collected claim and review history

    Original title: Calms gut inflammation

    Reduced inflammation and tissue damage in mouse models of colitis.

    Original label: animal. Preserved for traceability; the reviewed wording above qualifies this record.

    Record kpv:benefit:1 · Annotated 2026-10-01 · Review method

  2. In-vitro signaling experiment

    Review of “Blocks an inflammation switch”

    In cultured intestinal/immune cells, KPV reduced NF-κB and related inflammatory signaling.

    Limitations and applicability. A biochemical target is not a clinical benefit; distinguish cell-line data from animal experiments.

    Original collected claim and review history

    Original title: Blocks an inflammation switch

    Inhibits NF-κB, a master switch for inflammatory signaling.

    Original label: animal. Preserved for traceability; the reviewed wording above qualifies this record.

    Record kpv:benefit:2 · Annotated 2026-10-01 · Review method

  3. Preclinical uptake mechanism

    Review of “Works when swallowed”

    PepT1-mediated KPV uptake was shown in cell models; oral anti-inflammatory effects were studied in mice.

    Limitations and applicability. “Works when swallowed” implies human efficacy. PepT1 expression during inflammation varies across models and studies.

    Original collected claim and review history

    Original title: Works when swallowed

    Enters gut cells through the PepT1 transporter, which is abundant in an inflamed gut.

    Original label: animal. Preserved for traceability; the reviewed wording above qualifies this record.

    Record kpv:benefit:3 · Annotated 2026-10-01 · Review method

  4. In-vitro antimicrobial finding; wound component unresolved

    Review of “Antimicrobial and wound healing”

    KPV showed antimicrobial activity in laboratory assays. Attach a separate primary source for any wound-healing claim.

    Limitations and applicability. The verified source supports antimicrobial laboratory activity, not the separate wound-healing assertion.

    Original collected claim and review history

    Original title: Antimicrobial and wound healing

    Showed antimicrobial and wound-healing effects in lab studies.

    Original label: animal. Preserved for traceability; the reviewed wording above qualifies this record.

    Record kpv:benefit:4 · Annotated 2026-10-01 · Review method

The research in detail

Evidence category

Mostly animal and cell studies

Cell and mouse studies report anti-inflammatory effects, including in experimental colitis. No human clinical trials were identified; animal and cell findings do not establish clinical benefit.

Evidence is assessed claim by claim above. Regulatory approval, study design, findings and relevance are separate questions; there is no single evidence score.

Risks and unknowns. What to know first.

Collected cautions follow. These are not an exhaustive or independently validated safety assessment; claim references do not automatically support every caution.

  • Human safety profile unknown.

What people report

Show all 8 cautionsShow fewer cautions

Read this first: what “research use only” means

Published dosing records. No established dose.

Historical label and trial records for the named product, route, population and indication. These records are not a personal schedule or a validated regimen for a catalog vial. Source attribution does not establish applicability.

KPV has been studied only in cells, tissue samples and animals, mainly in models of bowel inflammation. The FDA says it has not identified any human exposure data, and no trial or approved label sets a dose.

Any dose you see online for it is a guess, not a tested dose.

Community protocols. Reported online. Not clinically validated.

Community reports Collection date: 30 Sep 2026

The most common protocol is 250–500 mcg injected under the skin once or twice a day (500 mcg a day is the usual figure), with 500 mcg capsules used for the gut.

More about this

Many forum users take 1–2 mg a day and a few take 5–6 mg; no human study supports any of these doses.

Not testedFrequently encountered in reviewed sources

Daily injection for inflammation

Collected report · exact form and route are only as reported below. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01.

Frequency labels describe this collection, not a measured population. Contradictory records remain available.

Details and sourcesHide details
Dose
250–500 mcg per shot (500 mcg a day is the most quoted); one clinic uses 350 mcg
How often
Once or twice a day; some inject 3–7 times a week
Route
Injection under the skin
How long
One clinic: 4 weeks. Many forum users run it for months.
Cycle
Opinions differ: some use 5 days on, 2 off; others say no break is needed
Mixing
10 mg vial with 2–3 mL bacteriostatic water is typical
  • Users take it for gut problems (irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease), psoriasis, arthritis and general inflammation. Reports of benefit for psoriasis are mixed.
  • Several users say the shot stings when the vial is cold from the fridge and not at room temperature.
Sources (4)

Not testedCommon

By mouth for the gut

Collected report · exact form and route are only as reported below. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01.

Frequency labels describe this collection, not a measured population. Contradictory records remain available.

Details and sourcesHide details
Dose
500 mcg per capsule
How often
Once or twice a day
Route
By mouth
Timing
On an empty stomach
  • Clinics sell KPV mainly as capsules for gut inflammation. One doctor prescribed it under the tongue for skin problems.
  • Some users say swallowed KPV did nothing for them while injections helped.
Sources (1)
Show all 6 protocolsShow fewer protocols

Not testedCommon

In GHK-Cu blends (KLOW) and to ease GHK-Cu sting

Collected report · exact form and route are only as reported below. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01.

Frequency labels describe this collection, not a measured population. Contradictory records remain available.

Details and sourcesHide details
Dose
About 300–600 mcg of KPV a day inside the blend
How often
Once a day
Route
Injection under the skin
Mixing
KLOW vials combine GHK-Cu, BPC-157, TB-500 and KPV (the 80 mg version is reported to hold 10 mg of KPV). Some mix 10 mg of KPV into a 50 mg GHK-Cu vial.
  • Users add KPV to GHK-Cu specifically to cut the injection-site stinging GHK-Cu causes.
Sources (3)

Not testedSometimes seen

Higher daily doses

Collected report · exact form and route are only as reported below. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01.

Frequency labels describe this collection, not a measured population. Contradictory records remain available.

Details and sourcesHide details
Dose
1–6 mg a day
How often
Once a day or split
Route
Injection under the skin
  • Justified by users as ‘KPV is forgiving’. One says 5 mg is used for flare-ups; another admits there is no human research and ‘it’s all just guessing’.
Sources (3)

Not testedSometimes seen

Skin cream or solution

Collected report · exact form and route are only as reported below. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01.

Frequency labels describe this collection, not a measured population. Contradictory records remain available.

Details and sourcesHide details
Dose
0.5 mL of a 15 mg per mL cream (about 7.5 mg) per application
How often
Twice a day
Route
Topical (on the affected skin)
  • A compounding pharmacy offered this for psoriasis in 2019. Some users simply dab injection-vial solution on the skin.
Sources (1)

Not testedFringe

Tiny starting dose for sensitive users

Collected report · exact form and route are only as reported below. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01.

Frequency labels describe this collection, not a measured population. Contradictory records remain available.

Details and sourcesHide details
Dose
About 50 mcg, or a pinch of capsule powder
How often
Every other day at first, then daily
Route
Injection under the skin or by mouth
Ramp
Start tiny and increase only if tolerated
  • Used by people with mast cell activation problems or mold illness who report flu-like ‘herx’ reactions.
Sources (2)

Where the numbers come from

There is no human dosing basis. FDA found no human studies, case reports or adverse-event reports for KPV; the research behind it is laboratory and animal work on fragments of the hormone alpha-MSH (alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone). Doses were set by clinics and compounding pharmacies (capsules, injections and, in 2019, a 15 mg per mL cream) and by forum convention, which settled on about 500 mcg a day.

Home-made sprays and serums

On the skin: home-made serums. Community recipes. Not tested.

Original source recordsHide

KPV has been sold as a compounded skin cream (15 mg per mL) for psoriasis and other inflammatory skin problems, and some users apply reconstituted injectable KPV to the skin. A lab study found KPV does not pass through intact human skin on its own.

Best evidence: Compounding-pharmacy product and user reports only. A lab study on human skin found KPV did not pass through by simple contact; it did pass after micro-needling or with iontophoresis (a small electric current). No human skin trials were found.

Not testedCreamSometimes seen

Compounded KPV cream, 15 mg per mL (for psoriasis)

Original source-specific report. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Exact form and route are limited to the source’s description.

Batch: 30 mL TopiClick dispenser

Ingredients and methodHide the recipe

Ingredients

IngredientAmountRole
KPV15 mg per mLActive
Transdermal cream base (not specified)Base

Method

Made by the pharmacy; no method is published.

How it’s used
0.5 mL applied to the affected area twice a day.
Per dose
Calculated: 15 mg per mL × 0.5 mL = 7.5 mg KPV per application.
Sources (2)

Not testedOtherFringe

Reconstituted injectable KPV applied to the skin (community)

Original source-specific report. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Exact form and route are limited to the source’s description.

Batch: not stated

Ingredients and methodHide the recipe

Ingredients

IngredientAmountRole
KPV, freeze-dried vialnot statedActive
Bacteriostatic waternot statedSolvent

Method

  1. Reconstitute the vial with bacteriostatic water.
  2. Apply some to the skin.
  • Another user adds KPV to a home-made hair mix with other peptides; no amounts given.
  • Users say they have seen no recommended concentration; one planned to mix 8 mg of KPV into aloe vera gel, another suggested derma-rolling first.
  • A ready-made KPV topical was mentioned at about $200 for 10 mL, mixed with other ingredients.

Not stated: how it’s used.

Sources (6)
Editorial synthesis and reported strength comparison

This synthesized method combines source records. It has not been validated for preparation, sterility, compatibility, absorption or storage. Select a reported strength to inspect the arithmetic; no strength is selected for you.

Not testedOn the skin

No amounts were found in the reviewed recipe records for this one. What was found is under “Original source records”.

Good to know

  • Use distilled water, not tap: tap water carries minerals, chlorine and microbes that can spoil the serum.
What people report
Research notes

Doses span more than tenfold (250 mcg to 6 mg a day) with no human data to anchor them. Users disagree on whether breaks are needed. KPV is increasingly taken inside pre-mixed blends (KLOW), so the actual KPV dose depends on the vial ratio. Nasal KPV sprays are discussed on Reddit but no dose for them was found. An FDA advisory committee recommended KPV for compounding in July 2026; FDA has not decided.

On the skin

The compounded cream is from an undated catalog; it is not known whether it is still made.

What it is. In plain English.

A three-amino-acid anti-inflammatory fragment of α-MSH, studied mostly for gut inflammation.

KPV is the three-amino-acid sequence lysine-proline-valine, matching the end of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Its proposed anti-inflammatory activity is based on preclinical research.

Cell and animal research proposes that KPV may affect PepT1 transport and NF-κB signaling. A clinical effect in people has not been established.

Reviewed 2026-10-01.

Structure. A computed model.

, not measured

Computed 3D model of the tripeptide Lys-Pro-Val (KPV) as balls and sticks: carbon atoms lime green, nitrogen blue, oxygen red.

No experimental structure of KPV is in the . This is a computed model of its three amino acids, Lys-Pro-Val: a shape calculated from their atoms and bonds. Carbon atoms are lime green, nitrogen blue and oxygen red; hydrogen atoms aren’t drawn. Its formula and bonds were checked against the molecule’s known structure.

Good to know

  • It is one possible shape: a flexible molecule like this one moves and can take others.

PubChem CID 125672. Rendered with Mol* (Sehnal et al., 2021).

Specs. The facts at a glance.

Length
3 amino acids
Sequence
KPV
Sold as
  • KPV 10 mg
In blends
Regulatory status
Not FDA-approved. In July 2026 the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee recommended certain KPV bulk forms for 503A-list inclusion; FDA has not issued a final determination. This is not drug approval.
Also known as
α-MSH fragment 11–13

Sources. What this page rests on.

Every source behind this page, with what it says and when it was checked, is in the Source library.

KPV in the Source library

Original overview and research notes · annotated 2026-10-01

Historical collection text. Read alongside the claim corrections above; identity or evidence qualifications may supersede this wording.

Anti-inflammatory, gut focused

A three-amino-acid anti-inflammatory fragment of α-MSH, studied mostly for gut inflammation.

Lysine-proline-valine, the last three amino acids of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH). It keeps the parent hormone’s anti-inflammatory activity without the tanning effect.

It enters cells through the PepT1 transporter, which is plentiful in an inflamed gut, and blocks NF-κB, a master switch for inflammatory signaling.

In mouse colitis models, oral KPV reduced inflammation and tissue damage (Gastroenterology, 2008). Lab studies show antimicrobial and wound-healing effects. No human clinical trials published.

Original status record: Not approved. Research chemical. In July 2026 an FDA advisory panel voted to recommend allowing pharmacies to compound it, against FDA staff advice; the FDA has not decided.

More in Immune system.

Glossary

Protein Data Bank (PDB)

The free worldwide archive of 3D structures of proteins and other molecules measured in experiments. Each entry has a four-character code, like 7KI0.

Glossary

Computed model

A 3D shape calculated by software from a molecule’s atoms and bonds, not measured in an experiment.