The C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, studied for anti-inflammatory signaling primarily in cells and mouse colitis models.
The 200-500 mcg daily rows are recorded research presets. The anchor literature uses cell systems and oral mouse models, not a human injection trial. This is educational source context, not a protocol or recommendation.
There is no regulator-approved starting dose for this research use. A low-looking number is not automatically safe.
This is the range represented in the in-app protocol library. It describes the source record; it does not validate the regimen.
Higher exposure is not established as more effective. Human pharmacokinetic and long-term safety data may be absent.
Drug amount and device markings are different quantities. The calculator converts mass into volume, syringe units, or pen clicks.
The cadence represented by the recorded calculator presets.
Published experiments may use a different route, formulation, timing, or population and should not be treated as interchangeable.
No single schedule has been validated across products or research contexts.
No randomized human trial establishes dose, route, or efficacy for KPV.
Keep cold, dry, and protected from light according to the manufacturer certificate or validated lab SOP.
Use sterile technique, refrigerate as validated, and avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Record lot, concentration, preparation date, and the identity/purity documentation used by the lab.
What published studies and recent community write-ups report about amounts, timing and course length. 1 clinical, 3 preclinical and 4 community-reported rows, each linked to its source. These are descriptions of what others report, not instructions, and nothing here is medical advice.
| Context | Dose | Frequency | Route | Course | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical1 row | |||||
| FDA 503A Bulks List evaluation (nominated topical product)None; FDA found no human study, case report or exposure data for KPV by any route | 0.1% cream or gel (the strength proposed in the nomination) | Not specified in the nomination | Topical | Not specifiedNot applicable | U.S. Food and Drug Administration2026 |
| The reviewers searched PubMed, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, FAERS and other databases and found no trial, adverse event report, pharmacokinetic study or acute, repeat-dose, genotoxicity or reproductive toxicity study for KPV free base or KPV acetate. They noted that KPV does not cross intact cadaver skin in vitro unless iontophoresis or microneedling is used, that registered outsourcing facilities reported no KPV compounding between 2017 and June 2025, and proposed not adding either form to the 503A list. | |||||
| Preclinical3 rows | |||||
| Oral KPV in drinking water, mouse colitis modelsC57BL/6 mice with DSS or TNBS colitis, 10 per group; human intestinal and T cell lines | 100 micromolar (µM) KPV in the drinking water; nanomolar concentrations in cell culture | Continuous access to treated water | Oral | 8 days (3% DSS model) or 48 hours (150 mg/kg TNBS model)None | Gastroenterology (PubMed Central)2008 |
| Oral KPV roughly halved colonic myeloperoxidase activity in the DSS model and cut it by about 30% after TNBS, with less weight loss and lower inflammatory cytokine expression, while in culture it blocked NF-kB and MAP kinase activation through PepT1-mediated uptake. Because the mice drank freely, no mg/kg dose can be derived from this study. | |||||
| Hyaluronic-acid nanoparticles by oral gavageMice with colitis induced by 3% DSS for 8 days | 16 mcg/kg of KPV per day, carried in hyaluronic-acid-coated nanoparticles inside a chitosan/alginate hydrogel | Double gavage once daily | Oral | 5 days of treatmentNone | Molecular Therapy (PubMed Central)2017 |
| The coated particles (about 272 nm) homed to colonic epithelium and macrophages, lowered TNF-alpha and limited mucosal damage better than uncoated particles. The amount of free KPV that an ordinary capsule would deliver to inflamed colon is unknown and cannot be read off this figure. | |||||
| Colitis-associated cancer model, transporter dependenceWild-type and PepT1-knockout mice given azoxymethane plus DSS; Apc Min/+ mice | 100 µmol/L KPV in the drinking water | Continuous during the DSS cycles; from 5 to 18 weeks of age in Apc Min/+ mice | Oral | Two 7-day DSS cycles each followed by 14 days of plain water; or 13 weeks14-day recovery periods between DSS cycles | Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology (PubMed Central)2016 |
| KPV prevented inflammation-driven tumour formation in wild-type mice but had no effect in PepT1-knockout mice, tying its action to transporter uptake, and it did not reduce adenomas in the genetic Apc Min/+ model. Human colorectal tumours overexpressed PepT1 in the same paper, but no person received KPV. | |||||
| Community-reported4 rows | |||||
| Multi-route tiered guide (oral, injection, topical, nasal) | Oral 200-500 mcg; subcutaneous 100-500 mcg; intranasal 100-200 mcg; topical applied to the affected area | Once or twice daily by mouth; once daily by injection | Oral capsule or liquid, subcutaneous, topical, intranasal | 4-8 weeks, 8-12 weeks for long-standing gut complaints, 2-6 weeks for wounds2-4 weeks off (4 weeks after a 12-week block); topical use only during flares | Community resource2026 |
| Sets out starting, standard and upper tiers (200 mcg once daily up to 500 mcg twice daily by mouth; 100 to 500 mcg once daily by injection) and pairs KPV with BPC-157 as its most common stack. It states that the ranges come from community experience plus extrapolation from microgram-per-kilogram animal data and that there are no human trials. | |||||
| Reconstitution chart with community schedule | 200-500 mcg per day | Once daily by injection; once or twice daily by mouth | Subcutaneous, oral, topical, less often intranasal | Several weeks followed by a review period; 4-, 6-, 8-, 12- and 16-week planning examplesA review period after each block; nothing standardized | Community resource2026 |
| Mostly arithmetic: 5 mg in 1 mL or 10 mg in 2 mL gives 5,000 mcg/mL, so 200 mcg is 4 units and 500 mcg is 10 units on a U-100 syringe. Every schedule is labelled community-reported rather than clinically established, and the page records that FDA's July 2026 materials proposed against listing KPV for compounding. | |||||
| Protocol wiki with suggested bloodwork | 200-500 mcg per injection; oral capsules as labelled | Once daily by injection; 1-2 times daily by mouth, on an empty stomach | Subcutaneous or oral | 4-8 weeks, longer for chronic conditions; described as repeatableNone specified | Community resource2026 |
| Suggests baseline CRP, ESR, blood count, metabolic panel and fecal calprotectin with a repeat CRP at 4 weeks, and states plainly that KPV has no human dosing protocol, pharmacokinetic data or maximum tolerated dose in any species. Its preclinical table describes the mouse colitis dosing as 'various', which matches the papers above. | |||||
| Oral-first guide with a higher capsule ceiling | Oral 500 mcg to 2 mg per capsule; subcutaneous 200-500 mcg | 1-2 times daily; 500 mcg oral twice daily and 200 mcg injected once or twice daily named as the common patterns | Oral capsule for gut complaints; subcutaneous for skin or systemic use (5 mg in 2 mL, 2,500 mcg/mL) | 4-8 weeks, then reassess and repeat as neededNo fixed break | Community resource2026 |
| Puts the oral ceiling at 2 mg twice daily, well above the other guides, and lists stacks with BPC-157, thymosin alpha-1 and LL-37. A banner on the page states that no validated human dose exists and that its figures are extrapolated from animal, in vitro and community sources. | |||||
Community guides describe starting at 200 mcg by mouth once daily on an empty stomach, or 100-200 mcg subcutaneously once daily, to check tolerance. Topical use is described as applied to the affected skin during a flare rather than on a schedule.
The working range quoted is 200-500 mcg once or twice daily by mouth or 200-500 mcg once daily by injection, with a symptom and marker review at 4 weeks; one wiki suggests CRP and fecal calprotectin as the checkpoints. Chronic gut protocols are stretched to 8-12 weeks.
A 2-4 week pause after each block is the usual description, or an unspecified review period before deciding whether to repeat; some guides describe an open-ended 200 mcg per day maintenance instead. No source claims evidence for any of these intervals.
The mouse colitis studies behind the community figures ran for 5 to 8 days, or for two 7-day DSS cycles, using 100 µM KPV in drinking water or 16 mcg/kg per day inside colon-targeted nanoparticles. None involved weeks of dosing, a break, or a free peptide given by injection, capsule or spray.
There is nothing to compare against: FDA's 2026 review found no human study of KPV by any route, no pharmacokinetic data and no toxicity studies, and the only product ever formally proposed for compounding was a 0.1% topical cream or gel.
Plus 6 community resources (dosing guides, forum threads and vendor write-ups), reported above but not linked.
KPV is the tripeptide lysine-proline-valine, the last three residues of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and therefore also residues 11-13 of ACTH, which begins with the same 13-amino-acid sequence. Reviews from the Munster dermatology group describe it as the part of alpha-MSH that keeps the hormone's anti-inflammatory activity without its pigment-stimulating effect, and mechanistic work suggests it acts inside cells, entering through the PepT1 peptide transporter and damping NF-kB signalling rather than binding melanocortin receptors; it also inhibits Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans in culture. Every efficacy result comes from cell lines or from mouse and rat models of colitis, peritonitis, skin and corneal injury, including two 2008 mouse colitis studies, and the FDA's July 2026 review for compounding found no clinical study, no human exposure data and no pharmacokinetic or toxicity study in any species. KPV is sold as a research chemical and promoted by compounding and telehealth outlets as injections, capsules, creams and nasal sprays; FDA reviewers proposed against listing it for 503A compounding, the advisory committee nevertheless voted 8 to 6 to recommend it, and rulemaking had not concluded when this dossier was written.
These themes describe recurring questions in published research. They are not claims of effectiveness or recommendations for use.
DSS, TNBS, and transfer-colitis mouse models are the best-developed research area.
Cell studies examine uptake through the di/tripeptide transporter PepT1.
Laboratory work reports reduced inflammatory-pathway activation and cytokine output.
Formulation studies explore oral and nanoparticle approaches for intestinal exposure.
Study models remain visible so laboratory and animal findings are not mistaken for established human outcomes.
KPV reduced selected inflammatory and histologic measures in preclinical intestinal models.
Nanomolar KPV was studied in cytokine-stimulated cell systems with PepT1-dependent uptake.
Published evidence does not establish injectable efficacy or long-term safety in humans.
These amount records are independent from vial strength, reconstitution volume and measuring device. A recorded source is not the same as study backing, and these values are not recommendations.
Sequence, synonyms and registry identifiers as recorded in PubChem, the National Library of Medicine's open chemistry database. Formula, mass and CAS number are summarized at the top of the page.
Lys-Pro-Val
alpha-MSH (11-13), ACTH (11-13), L-Lysyl-L-prolyl-L-valine, alpha-Melanotropin (11-13), H-Lys-Pro-Val-OH, UNII 7V6LGD8S5R, CHEBI:160254, DTXSID80987067
YSPZCHGIWAQVKQ-AVGNSLFASA-N
Residues 11-13 of α-MSH
(2S)-2-[[(2S)-1-[(2S)-2,6-diaminohexanoyl]pyrrolidine-2-carbonyl]amino]-3-methylbutanoic acid
2 curated references, each with its journal, year and study model, plus 6 community resources reported but not linked.