Peptide evidence preview
KPV Peptide: Safety, Legal Status, and Evidence
Is KPV safe or FDA approved? KPV has been studied only in cells and mice with gut inflammation. What those studies show, what is unknown, and its status.
Also known as: KPV peptide · Lysine-Proline-Valine · Lys-Pro-Val · alpha-MSH (11-13)
Direct answer
Direct answer
KPV is a three-amino-acid peptide (lysine-proline-valine), the final segment of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. It is not approved as a medicine by the FDA or Health Canada. All cited evidence comes from cell and mouse studies of intestinal inflammation. No human trial is among the sources, and FDA says it has found no human exposure data for products containing KPV by any route.
Status at a glance
As of October 27, 2026
- United States (FDA)
- Not approved for any use. No approved drug application is listed in Drugs@FDA. U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- FDA compounding
- On FDA's list of bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks, in the group nominated but withdrawn (previously category 2). U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Canada (Health Canada)
- No authorized drug product in Health Canada's Drug Product Database. Health Canada
- Sport (WADA)
- Not named on the 2026 Prohibited List. Several classes, including S0 for substances with no current government approval for human therapeutic use, cover substances that are not named, so this does not confirm it is permitted. World Anti-Doping Agency
WADA updates its Prohibited List every January; the 2027 List takes effect January 1, 2027. Athletes should check the list in force and their own federation's rules.
Public Evidence Passport preview
Preclinical only: cell and mouse studies
All cited evidence comes from cell lines and mouse models of intestinal inflammation. No human trial is among the sources, and FDA reports no human exposure data for KPV by any route.
- Strongest source tier
- Tier 2 — cell-line and mouse colitis studies
- Editorial review
- October 27, 2026
- Source coverage
- 7 inspectable records in this public preview
What matters
- KPV is the C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-MSH.
- It reduced intestinal inflammation in mouse colitis models and inflammatory signaling in human cell lines.
- No human trial is among the sources, and FDA reports no human exposure data.
- Effects in people, by any route, are not established, and safety is unknown.
What it is
KPV (lysine-proline-valine) is the C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), corresponding to residues 11 to 13. Researchers have described anti-inflammatory effects for melanocortin peptides such as alpha-MSH, and studies of KPV ask whether this short fragment keeps some of them.
KPV is not an approved medicine in the United States or Canada.
Proposed mechanism (preclinical)
In two mouse models of colitis, KPV reduced inflammation. It still protected mice whose melanocortin-1 receptor does not function, which suggests it acts at least partly independently of that receptor.
In human intestinal and immune cell lines, KPV entered cells through the peptide transporter PepT1, inhibited NF-kappaB and MAP kinase inflammatory signaling, and reduced the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Given in drinking water, it reduced chemically induced colitis in mice.
A third study, in a mouse model of colitis-associated cancer, reported that KPV prevented tumor formation in normal mice but had no such effect in mice lacking PepT1. This is a mouse result, not clinical evidence.
What the human evidence shows
None of the cited sources is a human study. FDA states that it has not identified any human exposure data on drug products containing KPV given by any route. Benefits in people with inflammatory bowel disease, skin conditions or any other condition are therefore not established.
Two of the three cited papers share a senior author, so independent replication is limited. None of these findings has been tested in people.
Safety and side effects
Human safety is unknown. FDA says it lacks important information about any safety issues raised by KPV, including whether it would cause harm if given to humans. No human adverse event data exist among the sources, and long-term effects have not been studied.
Regulatory and sport context
KPV is not approved as a therapeutic by the FDA or Health Canada. It appears on FDA's list of bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks. The 2026 WADA Prohibited List does not name KPV. Its S0 section covers any pharmacological substance not addressed elsewhere on the list and with no current approval by any government health authority for human therapeutic use.
Common questions
Is KPV FDA approved?
No. KPV is not approved for any use, and Drugs@FDA lists no approved product. FDA includes it on its list of bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks, in the group whose nominations were withdrawn, and says it has found no human exposure data for KPV by any route.
Sources:Drugs@FDA: FDA-Approved DrugsCertain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks
Is KPV safe?
Not known. No human safety data exist among the sources. FDA says it has found no human exposure data for products containing KPV and lacks information on whether it would cause harm in humans. The only studies are in cells and mice.
Sources:Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety RisksPepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV uptake reduces intestinal inflammation
Is KPV available in Canada?
Not as an approved medicine. Health Canada's Drug Product Database lists no authorized drug product containing KPV, and it is not approved as a therapeutic in Canada. This page does not cover how unapproved products are sold.
Does KPV cause cancer?
Not known in humans. No human data exist. In one mouse model of colitis-associated cancer, KPV prevented tumor formation rather than promoting it, but a single mouse study cannot establish cancer risk or protection in people.
Sources:Critical role of PepT1 in promoting colitis-associated cancer and therapeutic benefits of the anti-inflammatory PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV in a murine modelCertain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks
Does KPV help with acne or eczema?
Not established. The cited studies looked only at intestinal inflammation in cell lines and mice. None studied skin conditions, and no human trial of KPV is among the sources.
Sources:Melanocortin-derived tripeptide KPV has anti-inflammatory potential in murine models of inflammatory bowel diseasePepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV uptake reduces intestinal inflammation
What is the difference between KPV and BPC-157?
They are different peptides. KPV is a three-amino-acid fragment of alpha-MSH studied in mouse colitis models. BPC-157 is a 15-amino-acid peptide studied mostly in rats for tissue repair. Both are unapproved and on FDA's compounding safety list. BPC-157 has a few small uncontrolled human reports; KPV has none among the sources.
Sources:Melanocortin-derived tripeptide KPV has anti-inflammatory potential in murine models of inflammatory bowel diseaseCertain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks
Inspect the record
Sources
- 01Critical role of PepT1 in promoting colitis-associated cancer and therapeutic benefits of the anti-inflammatory PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV in a murine modelPubMed
Mouse colitis-associated cancer model; not clinical evidence.
- 02Melanocortin-derived tripeptide KPV has anti-inflammatory potential in murine models of inflammatory bowel diseasePubMed
Two mouse colitis models; human efficacy not established.
- 03PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV uptake reduces intestinal inflammationPubMed
Human cell lines and mouse colitis; preclinical mechanism study.
- 04Drugs@FDA: FDA-Approved DrugsU.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA database of approved drug products; no KPV product is listed.
- 05Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety RisksU.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA compounding safety list; reports no human exposure data for KPV.
- 06Drug Product Database online queryHealth Canada
Canadian database of authorized drug products; searched by name.
- 07The Prohibited ListWorld Anti-Doping Agency
Sport anti-doping list; KPV is not named.
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