KPV

ID: kpv

Aliases: Lys-Pro-Val, alpha-MSH C-terminal tripeptide, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone tripeptide, KPV

Type: compound

Route/form: no approved human route; oral/topical/injection claims are extrapolated from preclinical work

Status: research

Evidence level: preclinical

Best data tier: direct preclinical; adjacent human controlled/review

Support scope: human, non-human/mechanistic, review/regulatory

Source types: human_rct, preclinical, review

Linked sources: 5

Broad outcomes: Gut / immune / inflammation, Skin / wound repair

Reading note: These are curation notes anchored to linked sources, not a clinical recommendation or protocol.

Targets / mechanism

• alpha-MSH C-terminal anti-inflammatory tripeptide biology
• NF-kappaB/inflammatory signaling modulation
• PepT1-mediated intestinal uptake
• intestinal epithelial and immune-cell inflammation

Optimization domains

• inflammation
• gut
• colitis
• skin
• immune
• barrier
• IBD
• PepT1
• NF-kappaB

Research basis

• KPV has a coherent gut-inflammation mechanism: the key Gastroenterology paper supports PepT1-mediated uptake into intestinal epithelial/immune cells and reduced inflammation in mouse colitis models.
• A later murine colitis-associated cancer paper strengthens the PepT1/KPV gut-targeted rationale and links treatment to reduced inflammatory and tumor endpoints in models.
• Human evidence is indirect but useful: K(D)PT, a related alpha-MSH-derived tripeptide analog, was tested in mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis and appears relevant for tolerability/pathway context.

Limits, risks, and missing evidence

• KPV itself still lacks a mature human efficacy package for IBD, skin disease, autoimmunity, or systemic inflammation.
• K(D)PT human data should be labeled as analog evidence, not direct KPV evidence.
• Gut-targeted oral/PepT1 logic does not automatically support injectable, intranasal, or general systemic wellness claims.

Risk flags

• preclinical heavy
• analog human evidence
• route specific claims
• gut targeted context
• immune modulation
• unapproved context

Linked papers, labels, and reviews

1. Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and related tripeptides: antiinflammatory and protective effects
   review / pubmed_kpv_inflammation_review_2008
   Review of alpha-MSH-related tripeptides including KPV for anti-inflammatory and protective effects.
2. PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV uptake reduces intestinal inflammation
   preclinical / pubmed_kpv_pept1_colitis_2008
   Cell and mouse colitis work supporting PepT1-mediated KPV intestinal anti-inflammatory rationale.
3. Critical role of PepT1 in promoting colitis-associated cancer and therapeutic benefits of the anti-inflammatory PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV in a murine model
   preclinical / pubmed_kpv_inflammatory_bowel_2016
   Murine colitis-associated cancer model with therapeutic KPV/PepT1 context.
4. Critical role of PepT1 in promoting colitis-associated cancer and therapeutic benefits of the anti-inflammatory PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV in a murine model
   preclinical / pmc_kpv_colitis_cancer_2016
   Mouse colitis-associated cancer and human-biopsy mechanistic paper; supports PepT1-mediated KPV delivery, reduced inflammation/tumor burden in models, and gut-targeted rationale.
5. Tripeptide K(D)PT Is Well Tolerated in Mild-to-moderate Ulcerative Colitis: Results from a Randomized Multicenter Study
   human_rct / pubmed_kpv_kdpt_uc_rct_2017
   Human randomized multicenter ulcerative-colitis study of K(D)PT, a related alpha-MSH-derived tripeptide analog; useful human tolerability/anti-inflammatory-pathway context but not direct proof for KPV products.