KPV
EmergingAlso known as: Lys-Pro-Val · α-MSH(11-13)
The smallest active fragment of alpha-MSH (just three amino acids), studied almost entirely in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease as an anti-inflammatory candidate. A clear example of a peptide with real preclinical mechanism data but essentially no human trials.
Mechanism (plain language)
Inhibits NF-kB and MAP kinase inflammatory signaling inside intestinal epithelial and immune cells, and is actively transported into those cells by the PepT1 di/tripeptide transporter, which is upregulated in inflamed colon tissue.
What research suggests
Mouse models of colitis (DSS and cell-transfer models) report reduced inflammation, faster weight regain, and rescue from severe colitis when treated with KPV, with newer work exploring targeted nanoparticle delivery to improve oral bioavailability.
Uncertainties & risks
All meaningful efficacy data is in mice; there are no published human IBD trials of KPV specifically. Extrapolating rodent colitis results to human gut-health or skin-repair claims is a significant, unsupported leap at this stage.
Primary sources
Secondary citations for verification. Prefer the STACKD summary above for context before opening these.
- Melanocortin-derived tripeptide KPV has anti-inflammatory potential in murine models of inflammatory bowel disease
2008 · animal
KPV reduced inflammation and improved recovery across two mouse colitis models, including rescuing MC1R-deficient mice from death.