What is KPV?
Short answer
KPV is a synthetic tripeptide, lysine-proline-valine, matching the last three amino acids of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. It has been studied in animal and cell models of intestinal inflammation, with no human trials published. Through Peptides.build it is prescribed only inside the KLOW Stack, as a compounded medication, and compounded medications are not FDA-approved. It is not named on the WADA Prohibited List.
| Type | Synthetic tripeptide (3 amino acids: Lys-Pro-Val) |
|---|---|
| Origin | C-terminal fragment of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) |
| Also known as | KPV peptide, Lys-Pro-Val, alpha-MSH(11-13) |
| Evidence to date | One animal and cell study and one review; no human trials |
| Form in this catalog | Inside the KLOW Stack only; subcutaneous injection, supplied already reconstituted |
| Regulatory status | Compounded medication; not FDA-approved for any use |
| Anti-doping | Not named on the WADA list; the S0 category can cover non-approved substances |
| Study type | Sources |
|---|---|
| Human clinical trials | 0 |
| Other human studies | 0 |
| Animal and lab studies | 1 |
| Review articles | 2 |
Where does KPV come from?
KPV is the C-terminal end of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a 13-amino-acid hormone best known for its role in skin pigmentation. The last three residues, lysine, proline and valine, were synthesized and studied on their own. The review in the references describes alpha-MSH and its related tripeptides, KPV among them, as a family studied for anti-inflammatory and protective effects in vitro and in vivo, which is why the fragment came to be examined separately from the whole hormone.
As prescribed, KPV is entirely synthetic: a compounding pharmacy assembles the three-residue sequence rather than deriving it from the hormone. Three amino acids is as short as a peptide gets in this catalog, and that size is one reason its uptake through a small-peptide transporter in the gut became a research focus.
What has KPV been studied for?
KPV research is animal and cell work, and the published literature is small. The study in the references examined how the tripeptide enters intestinal cells through a transporter called PepT1, which normally carries small peptides from digested food, and reported reduced intestinal inflammation in animal and cell models. The accompanying review places KPV within the alpha-MSH family and summarizes anti-inflammatory and protective effects in vitro and in vivo, with immune-mediated inflammatory disease as the direction it suggests for future work.
There are no human trials of KPV. The models are experimental intestinal inflammation and cultured intestinal cells, the uptake studied was across the gut lining rather than from an injection, and nothing in the literature examines KPV combined with other peptides. Pages that describe KPV as a gut treatment are extrapolating from a handful of preclinical papers.
| Area | Type of evidence | What the studies describe |
|---|---|---|
| Intestinal inflammation | Animal and cell models | Reduced inflammation in those models after PepT1-mediated uptake |
| Alpha-MSH family | Review | Anti-inflammatory and protective effects in vitro and in vivo for the hormone and related tripeptides |
| Route | Cell and animal work | Uptake across the gut lining via PepT1; injection is not what these studies examined |
| Humans | No trials published | Nothing |
Get KLOW Stack prescribed, pre-mixed
How is KPV prescribed?
KPV is not prescribed on its own through Peptides.build. It appears in one protocol, the KLOW Stack, blended with BPC-157, GHK-Cu and TB-500 in a single vial. That stack is a compounded medication prescribed by a licensed US provider after an online intake and prepared by a licensed 503A pharmacy, as a subcutaneous injection that arrives already reconstituted with each peptide's concentration on the label.
There is no KPV calculator on this site because there is no single-compound KPV vial to calculate for; the provider states how many units of the blend to draw. BPC-157, which has its own gut literature in animal models including fistula healing, is the component the stack is most often compared with, and the provider decides at intake whether a four-compound blend is justified over BPC-157 alone. Dosing is set by the provider and never published here.
Is KPV FDA-approved or allowed in sport?
KPV is not FDA-approved for any use. It reaches patients only inside a compounded medication, and compounded medications are not FDA-approved.
KPV is not named on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List. That is not a clearance: the list's S0 category can cover non-approved substances, and the only catalog protocol containing KPV also contains BPC-157 and TB-500, which are prohibited at all times. Drug-tested athletes should check with their governing body.
Is KPV the same as alpha-MSH?
KPV is a fragment of alpha-MSH, not the hormone itself. Alpha-MSH is 13 amino acids long and acts on melanocortin receptors, which is how it drives pigmentation; KPV is the final three residues. The review in the references handles the two as related but separate subjects, and the pigmentation activity of the full hormone is not what the KPV studies describe. KPV is also sometimes confused with tanning peptides modeled on alpha-MSH; those are different molecules with different sequences and are not in this catalog.
Prescribed KPV vs research peptides: what is different?
Prescribed KPV is not a research chemical. It is a prescription medication: a licensed US provider reviews your intake first, and a licensed 503A pharmacy compounds it for you by name. Vials sold online as “research use only” skip both steps. What you pay for here is that review, a pharmacy you can name, and a label that says what is in the vial.
A research seller’s certificate of analysis is a document the seller controls: it chooses the lab and the sample, and a PDF can be reused, edited or re-dated. No regulator checks it.
| Point | Prescribed through Peptides.build | Research use only |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Online intake reviewed by a licensed US provider; prescribed only when appropriate. | No prescription and no clinical review of whether it suits you. |
| How it's labeled | A prescription medication compounded for you by name. | Commonly sold labeled “research use only, not for human consumption.” |
| Who prepares it | A licensed 503A US compounding pharmacy under state and federal oversight. | Unregulated suppliers, often with no verifiable chain of custody. |
| Testing | Third-party tested. | Certificates of analysis are self-reported when provided at all. |
| Purity and identity | Prepared to a prescription for a specific patient. | Purity, strength, and even identity are unverified by any independent party. |
This compares two care models, not two products. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, and we do not claim otherwise. What a prescription adds is a licensed provider deciding whether a protocol is appropriate for you and a licensed pharmacy preparing it. Read the full guide to research vs prescription peptides.
KPV FAQ
Is KPV a peptide or a hormone?
KPV is a peptide, three amino acids long. It is a fragment of the hormone alpha-MSH but is not the hormone, and the studies behind it describe anti-inflammatory signaling in models, not hormonal effects.
Has KPV been tested in humans?
No. The published KPV literature is an animal and cell study of intestinal inflammation and a review of the alpha-MSH family. Human trials of KPV have not been published.
Can I get KPV on its own?
Not through Peptides.build. KPV is prescribed only inside the KLOW Stack with BPC-157, GHK-Cu and TB-500, and only when a licensed provider decides that stack fits your history.
Is KPV FDA-approved?
No. KPV is not FDA-approved for any use. It is available only as part of a compounded medication prescribed by a licensed provider, and compounded medications are not FDA-approved.
Is KPV banned in sport?
KPV is not named on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List, although the S0 category can cover non-approved substances. The only protocol here that contains it also contains BPC-157 and TB-500, which are prohibited at all times. Check with your governing body.
KLOW Stack through Peptides.build
A licensed US provider reviews a short online intake and decides whether a protocol is appropriate. A US 503A pharmacy prepares it already reconstituted, labels the concentration and ships it cold-chain. Dosing is set by the provider and is not published on this site.
Start your KLOW Stack visit · from $183/moReferences
- PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV uptake reduces intestinal inflammation. Gastroenterology, 2008. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2007.10.026Study type: Animal and cell study
- Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and related tripeptides: biochemistry, antiinflammatory and protective effects in vitro and in vivo, and future perspectives for the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Endocrine Reviews, 2008. doi:10.1210/er.2007-0027Study type: Review
- Fistulas Healing: Stable Gastric Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 Therapy. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2020. doi:10.2174/1381612826666200424180139Study type: Review
Citations are listed with their study type so the evidence can be weighed. Review articles summarize other studies; animal and in vitro findings do not describe outcomes in people.
This article is educational and is not medical advice. KPV is not FDA-approved for any use, and compounded medications are not FDA-approved. No results are implied or guaranteed. Talk to a licensed provider about your own history before starting any protocol.