Underground Biohacking
Immune

KPV

Chris Hallewell, founder of Underground Biohacking

By , Founder, Underground Biohacking

Last reviewed

Research use only. Not FDA-approved.

KPV is a peptide just three amino acids long. It is the tail end of a natural hormone called alpha-MSH, one of the signals your body uses to calm inflammation. In animals it settles inflammation in the gut. It also survives being swallowed, because the gut has a transporter that pulls it straight into the cells lining the intestine. Every published study is in cells, mice or rats. No human trial of KPV exists.

What is KPV?

KPV is a peptide made of just three amino acids: lysine, proline and valine. Chemists write those as K, P and V, which is where the name comes from. It is not a designed drug. KPV is the last three amino acids of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, usually shortened to alpha-MSH. Your body already makes alpha-MSH, and it is one of the signals that damps inflammation down. Researchers cut the hormone back to this fragment to see whether the anti-inflammatory part survived on its own. It did. Being tiny matters. A three amino acid peptide can ride into intestinal cells on PepT1, a transporter the gut normally uses to absorb protein fragments from food. That is why a swallowed dose reaches the gut lining, while most peptides are destroyed before they get there.

What is KPV used for?

  • KPV added to drinking water reduced colitis in two different mouse models, and cut the inflammatory signals in the gut lining.[1]Animal or lab study only
  • A second laboratory found the same thing in two further colitis models. Treated mice recovered weight faster and had less damage in the colon.[2]Animal or lab study only
  • KPV gets into gut cells through PepT1, a transporter the gut switches on during inflammatory bowel disease. That is how a swallowed dose reaches the tissue that is inflamed.[1]Animal or lab study only
  • At nanomolar concentrations, KPV blocked NF-kB in human intestinal and immune cells grown in the lab. NF-kB is a master switch that turns inflammation on.[1]Animal or lab study only
  • KPV blocked NF-kB in human airway cells too, and cut the chemical signals that pull immune cells into the lung.[5]Animal or lab study only
  • KPV does not appear to work through melanocortin receptors, the usual targets of the hormone it comes from. It still worked in mice whose main melanocortin receptor was broken.[3]Animal or lab study only
  • Packaged into targeted nanoparticles, KPV healed the gut lining faster than plain KPV in a mouse model of ulcerative colitis.[4]Animal or lab study only
KPV dosage chart
Typical dose200-500mcg per dose, 1-2 times daily
Cycle length4-12 weeks per condition
FormOral capsules, injectable (subcutaneous)

How many units is your KPV dose?

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How does KPV work?

Tripeptide (Lys-Pro-Val) derived from the C-terminus of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Inhibits NF-kB pathway and reduces pro-inflammatory cytokine signalling. Active orally with intact absorption (unlike most peptides). Strong evidence in IBD/colitis models.

How much KPV should you take?

200-500mcg per dose, 1-2 times daily

How long should you run KPV?

4-12 weeks per condition

How is KPV supplied?

Oral capsules, injectable (subcutaneous)

What are the side effects of KPV?

EffectHow seriousWhat to watch
No human safety data exists. Every published KPV study is in cells, mice or rats. No human trial of KPV is registered anywhere.UnknownTreat every dose as untested in people.
Creams and topical KPV are unlikely to do anything. In laboratory testing on human skin, KPV did not cross intact skin at all. It only got through when the skin was deliberately microneedled or an electric current was applied.[8]A wasted dose rather than a safety riskNone
KPV breaks down under acid, alkali or oxidising conditions. The main breakdown product is a ring-shaped molecule called lys-pro-diketopiperazine.[10]Affects potency, not known to be toxicStorage conditions and expiry date
Claims that KPV kills bacteria did not hold up. A 2018 study tested capped KPV under a range of conditions and found no antibacterial activity.[9]Not a safety issue, an unsupported claimNone

Is KPV legal in 2026?

The FDA has not approved KPV for any use. It sits on an FDA list of substances that were put forward for compounding pharmacies and then withdrawn by whoever nominated them. On that page the FDA states it has found no human exposure data for KPV by any route of administration. It also says it lacks the information it would need to know whether KPV would cause harm in people. No human trial of KPV is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Everything on this page comes from animal and laboratory work.

Status checked against the primary source.

Where to buy KPV

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KPV protocols

Deep dives on KPV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you take KPV and BPC-157 together?
No study has tested that combination. Both peptides are researched on their own, and neither has published human trial data. Stacking them is an untested experiment, not a protocol with evidence behind it.
How often should I take KPV peptide?
No dosing schedule has been tested in people. The mouse studies dosed continuously, usually by adding KPV to drinking water, across the whole experiment. That does not convert into a human schedule, and nobody has published one.
How long does it take KPV peptide to work?
Nobody knows, because it has never been measured in people. The animal studies checked whether the gut had recovered by the end of the experiment, not how fast the effect started. There is no human time course to read across.
Does KPV peptide help with weight loss?
No. No study has looked at KPV and fat loss. The weight gain reported in the colitis studies was sick animals recovering from illness, not healthy animals getting leaner.
Why is the gut the main area of KPV research?
Because that is where KPV gets in. It rides into intestinal cells on PepT1, a transporter the gut increases during inflammatory bowel disease. That gives a swallowed dose a direct route into inflamed tissue, which most peptides do not have.
Is KPV FDA approved?
No. The FDA has not approved KPV for any use. Its own compounding pages say two things. The FDA has found no human exposure data for KPV by any route. And it lacks the information it would need to know whether KPV would cause harm in people.

References

  1. 1.Dalmasso G, Charrier-Hisamuddin L, Nguyen HT, et al. (2008). PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV uptake reduces intestinal inflammation. Gastroenterology. PMID: 18061177. DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2007.10.026.
  2. 2.Kannengiesser K, Maaser C, Heidemann J, et al. (2008). Melanocortin-derived tripeptide KPV has anti-inflammatory potential in murine models of inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. PMID: 18092346. DOI: 10.1002/ibd.20334.
  3. 3.Getting SJ, Schioth HB, Perretti M. (2003). Dissection of the anti-inflammatory effect of the core and C-terminal (KPV) alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone peptides. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. PMID: 12750433. DOI: 10.1124/jpet.103.051623.
  4. 4.Xiao B, Xu Z, Viennois E, et al. (2017). Orally targeted delivery of tripeptide KPV via hyaluronic acid-functionalized nanoparticles efficiently alleviates ulcerative colitis. Molecular Therapy. PMID: 28143741. DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2016.11.020.
  5. 5.Land SC. (2012). Inhibition of cellular and systemic inflammation cues in human bronchial epithelial cells by melanocortin-related peptides: mechanism of KPV action and a role for MC3R agonists. International Journal of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology. PMID: 22837805.
  6. 6.Sun J, Xue P, Liu J, et al. (2021). Self-cross-linked hydrogel of cysteamine-grafted gamma-polyglutamic acid stabilized tripeptide KPV for alleviating TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis in rats. ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering. PMID: 34547895. DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c00792.
  7. 7.Zhao Y, Xue P, Lin G, et al. (2022). A KPV-binding double-network hydrogel restores gut mucosal barrier in an inflamed colon. Acta Biomaterialia. PMID: 35245681. DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.02.039.
  8. 8.Pawar K, Kolli CS, Rangari VK, Babu RJ. (2017). Transdermal iontophoretic delivery of lysine-proline-valine (KPV) peptide across microporated human skin. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. PMID: 28343991. DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2017.03.017.
  9. 9.Songok AC, Panta P, Doerrler WT, et al. (2018). Structural modification of the tripeptide KPV by reductive glycoalkylation of the lysine residue. PLoS One. PMID: 29953505. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199686.
  10. 10.Pawar KR, Mulabagal V, Smith F, et al. (2014). Stability-indicating HPLC assay for lysine-proline-valine (KPV) in aqueous solutions and skin homogenates. Biomedical Chromatography. PMID: 25298219. DOI: 10.1002/bmc.3347.

This content is for educational purposes only. These compounds are intended for research use. Nothing here is medical advice.