KPV

What KPV Is and How It Works Structure and Identity KPV is a tripeptide: lysine, proline, valine. Formula C16H30N4O4, molecular weight about 342, CAS 67727-97-3. It matches residues 11 to 13 of alpha-MSH, the C-terminal end of the hormone. It is one of the smallest compounds we stock, which affects both how it is tested and how it should be stored. How It Gets Into Cells The best-known gut study, published in Gastroenterology in 2008, found that intestinal cells take KPV in through a transporter called PepT1. PepT1 normally absorbs small peptides from digested food. Once inside, KPV acted on inflammatory signalling within the cell The Melanocortin Question Alpha-MSH acts on a family of receptors called melanocortin receptors, including MC1R and MC3R. Whether KPV works mainly through those receptors is not settled. Some studies report weak binding. Others, including the PepT1 work, point to a route that does not need the receptor at all. The honest answer is that both may play a part. Anti-Inflammatory Study KPV exerts anti-inflammatory effects through two primary mechanisms studied in research: binding to melanocortin receptors (particularly MC1R and MC3R) on immune cells, and inhibiting NF-κB pathway activation — a central transcription factor in pro-inflammatory cytokine production. This dual-mechanism approach makes KPV relevant in studies examining acute and chronic inflammatory states across multiple tissue types.

KPV research sits almost entirely in the lab. The work falls into three groups.

The largest is gut-focused. It uses cell lines grown from intestinal lining, and mouse models in which colitis is induced chemically so its signalling can be studied. The 2008 PepT1 paper is the anchor of that work. It is also the reason KPV is sometimes studied in nanoparticle carriers designed to deliver it to the gut lining.

The second group looks at skin cells and wound models, following on from alpha-MSH’s known activity in skin. The third, smaller group has looked at antimicrobial activity, which alpha-MSH and some of its fragments show in lab tests.

What is missing is human data. There are no published clinical trials of KPV, and the animal findings have not been tested in people. The mechanism is also still being worked out, as the melanocortin question above shows.

KPV has no approval from any regulator for any indication. It holds no registro sanitario with Costa Rica’s Ministerio de Salud. It is supplied here as a research material and nothing else.

Questions about KPV pricing, vial size, batch documentation, storage, or delivery inside Costa Rica? Our team can confirm current stock, bulk pricing and what the Certificate of Analysis covers before you order.

KPV is a short, fully defined peptide with a known sequence, a documented uptake route in intestinal cells and a well-studied place in the alpha-MSH family.

We supply KPV and other research materials with consistent quality, transparent pricing, and reliable local delivery. Every order ships from inside Costa Rica — no customs delays, no import duties.