KPV_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as lysine-proline-valine
A tiny anti-inflammatory peptide for gut and skin, with no tanning effect.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is KPV?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
It carries alpha-MSH's anti-inflammatory action to calm the gut and skin without darkening skin. There are no human trials yet.
KPV is a tripeptide, the three-amino-acid tail (lysine-proline-valine) of the hormone alpha-MSH, minus the part that causes tanning.
What it's used for
A tiny anti-inflammatory peptide people use to calm inflammation in the gut and skin, popular for IBD, colitis, and skin flare-ups.
How does KPV work?
What it does in the body, and where.KPV is three amino acids long: the tail end of alpha-MSH with the part that causes tanning removed. It keeps the anti-inflammatory action and loses the pigmentation.
- 01It gets inside the cellUnlike most peptides, which act on receptors at the cell surface, KPV appears to work from inside, which is why such a short chain does anything at all.
- 02It interrupts inflammatory signallingSpecifically the NF-kB pathway, one of the main switches that turns inflammation on.
- 03Used mainly for gut and skinThose are the tissues where the animal and cell evidence is strongest. Human trials are small and few.
Where this compound is thought to act.
What else is it used for?
Each group carries its own evidence level.Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
Gut inflammation
Early research- Animal studyIn mice, taking it by mouth reduced the severity of two different chemically induced colitis models, cutting both weight loss and inflammation.
- Animal studyIn one severe colitis model it rescued every treated mouse from death.
- Animal studyIt prevented colitis-associated cancer in mice, and the effect disappeared in mice lacking the transporter it uses, confirming the mechanism.
Delivery and mechanism
Research only- Animal studyA nanoparticle delivery form worked at a concentration 12,000 times lower than the plain peptide in mouse colitis.
- Lab studyIn cells it reduced a key inflammatory signalling step by up to 80%.
- No dataNo completed human trial has tested it, and the FDA has stated it lacks safety information on it in humans.
The published record
206
Records indexed for KPV
50 in humans, 32 of them original studies.
FDA: Nominated but withdrawn; previously category 2.
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person. Human means indexed under humans, which includes reviews and work on human cells. Original studies exclude reviews and lab work on human cells.Last updated 11 September 2026.
At a glance
Four things to know about KPV
Evidence
Research only
Category
Healing and recovery
Common vial
10 mg
Half-life
Nothing published
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.0.2 up to 0.5 mg per day (start low, increase slowly), daily, 4-8 wk courses. Taken in daily, 4-8 wk coursesCommunity practice
Course dosing is how this one is normally used. Where the course length comes from is the thing to check: for most compounds in this pattern it is convention rather than a tested schedule.
How long does it stay in the body?
The half-life, and where the figure comes from.Nothing publishedNo figure
Nothing published. KPV is a three amino acid fragment of a larger hormone and no study has measured how long it lasts.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
Your draw
4 / 100 unitsKPV starts at $25.25 across 60 vendors, typically $4.00 – $9.50 per mg.
106 listings, last read Sep 5, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized KPV keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Who should avoid it
- No controlled human trials exist, so no contraindications are established
- Pregnancy
Stop and get help
- Signs of an allergic reaction
- Anything unusual, given the absence of human data
Common effects
- Unknown in humans. Anti-inflammatory effects have only been shown in cells and animals
What regulators say
- FDA: Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks (category 2 and withdrawn nominations), current as of April 22, 2026Nominated but withdrawn; previously category 2
FDA has not identified any human exposure data for any route
Checked 11 September 2026
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is KPV approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. KPV is not approved for any use, anywhere. It is sold labelled for laboratory research only, and there is no legal route to buy it for human use.
- Approval statusResearch only
- RouteBy mouth, under the skin, or on the skin
- CheckedAugust 2026
What has happened recently
On July 23, 2026, an FDA advisory committee voted 8 to 6 with one abstention to recommend adding KPV to the list of substances pharmacies may compound, for wound healing and inflammatory conditions. The FDA's own scientific reviewers had advised against it. The vote is advice, not a decision. HHS has to accept it and write formal rules first, so compounding KPV is still not legal today.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
- DoseFrom research and community reports. No regulator has reviewed this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
- Reviewed14 August 2026
What else is like KPV?
Others in Healing and recovery, side by side.If you're weighing KPV, it's worth reading ARA-290 (Cibinetide), VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide), and Larazotide in the same class.
A tiny anti-inflammatory peptide for gut and skin, with no tanning effect.
- Dose
- 0.2 up to 0.5 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily, 4-8 wk courses
A peptide studied for calming nerve pain and inflammation.
- Dose
- 1 up to 4 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily
A nasal-spray peptide used to calm chronic inflammation and immune problems.
- Dose
- 0.05 mg per dose
- How often
- Several daily
An oral peptide studied for sealing a leaky gut, mainly in celiac disease.
- Dose
- 0.5 mg per dose
- How often
- Before meals
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
- How to Vet a Peptide Vendor
Independent COAs, HPLC purity, and the red flags that mean walk away.
Sources
- KPV and PepT1 colitis study, Gastroenterology, 2008
- FDA, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, July 23-24, 2026(2026)FDA brought KPV before its Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee on 23 July 2026, to consider adding it to the 503A bulks list. The uses evaluated were wound healing and inflammatory conditions, which is closer to how KPV is actually sold than most of the peptides reviewed alongside it. Two things about the page itself. It sets out the agenda and links FDA's briefing document for each substance, but it does not record how the vote went, so it tells you what was assessed rather than what was decided. And the page notes that advisory committees give non-binding recommendations which FDA generally follows but is not legally bound to, so even the vote would not be the final word.
- FDA, bulk drug substances for compounding that may present significant safety risks(2026)FDA states that it has not identified any human exposure data on drug products containing KPV administered by any route, and that it lacks important information about any safety issues the substance raises, including whether it would cause harm in people. As of the 22 April 2026 version of this page, the substance sits in the second table, headed bulk drug substances nominated but withdrawn, rather than in the live category 2 list. The nomination was withdrawn, which is not the same as being approved or cleared: FDA still publishes the safety language above, and no longer has a nomination in front of it to evaluate.
Last reviewed 14 August 2026
Beyond these, 206 records are indexed. Browse the records