FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS $70+FAST U.S. FULFILLMENTBATCH DOCUMENTATION

KPV Peptide: A Research Overview of the Alpha-MSH Tripeptide

By The Bionova Club Team

Research use only. Bionova products are sold strictly for in-vitro and laboratory research by qualified professionals. They are not drugs, food, or cosmetics, are not approved by the FDA, and are not for human or veterinary use. Nothing in this article is medical advice or a claim about effects in people.

Disclosure: Bionova Club sells KPV as one component of its KLOW research blend, linked below.

KPV is a tripeptide: just three amino acids, lysine-proline-valine. In Bionova's catalog it is one of the four components of the KLOW blend. Its scientific story is older and more specific than that. KPV is the C-terminal end of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), and researchers began studying it as a stand-alone fragment in the late 1980s.

This overview covers what KPV is, where it comes from, which laboratory models have studied it, and how it compares with BPC-157 and TB-500.

What is KPV?

KPV is the tripeptide lysine-proline-valine (Lys-Pro-Val). It corresponds to residues 11 to 13 of α-MSH, which is why it is also written as α-MSH(11-13) (Brzoska et al., 2008, Endocrine Reviews; PubChem CID 125672, "Msh (11-13)").

  • Sequence: Lys-Pro-Val (KPV)
  • Peptide length: 3 amino acids
  • Parent molecule: Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), residues 11–13
  • Molecular formula: C₁₆H₃₀N₄O₄
  • Molecular weight: ~342.4 g/mol
  • Also called: α-MSH(11-13), Msh (11-13)
  • Bionova format: Component of the KLOW blend (KPV 10 mg per vial, according to the product page)

Where KPV comes from: alpha-MSH and POMC

α-MSH is a 13-amino-acid peptide (a tridecapeptide) derived from a larger precursor protein, proopiomelanocortin (POMC) (Brzoska et al., 2008). The full α-MSH molecule has a molecular formula of C₇₇H₁₀₉N₂₁O₁₉S (PubChem CID 16133793). KPV is its last three residues.

The interest in KPV as a separate molecule comes from a simple question: how much of α-MSH's activity in lab models is carried by its C-terminal end? Researchers have studied the tripeptide on its own to separate that region from the rest of the hormone.

What has KPV research examined?

KPV has been studied in cell culture and in rodent models. Three lines of work stand out.

Early work on the α-MSH C-terminal fragment

In 1989, Hiltz and Lipton studied α-MSH(11-13) in a mouse model of contact sensitivity, comparing it with saline and a corticosteroid control (Hiltz & Lipton, 1989, FASEB Journal). This is one of the earliest papers to treat the C-terminal tripeptide as a research compound in its own right.

Cellular uptake through PepT1

KPV is small enough to be a substrate for PepT1, a transporter for di- and tripeptides found in intestinal cells. Dalmasso and colleagues used radiolabeled KPV and intestinal epithelial and immune cell lines to characterize how KPV enters cells through PepT1. They also studied KPV in two mouse models of colitis (Dalmasso et al., 2008, Gastroenterology). The transport work is one of the more mechanistic parts of the KPV literature.

Receptor questions in mouse models

α-MSH acts through melanocortin receptors. Kannengiesser and colleagues studied KPV in two mouse colitis models, including mice with a nonfunctional melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), to ask whether KPV's activity in those models depended on that receptor (Kannengiesser et al., 2008, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases). The authors concluded that the activity they observed appeared to be at least partly independent of MC1R.

Reading the literature carefully

The KPV literature is small and almost entirely preclinical: cell lines and rodent models. Findings in a mouse model are hypothesis-generating; they are not demonstrations of effects in people. KPV is not approved by the FDA as a drug.

KPV vs BPC-157 vs TB-500

"BPC 157 vs KPV" and "TB-500 vs KPV" are common searches, mostly because all three appear together in KLOW. They are unrelated molecules. For a closer look at the other two, see BPC-157 vs TB-500: a research overview.

  • Length
    • KPV: 3 amino acids
    • BPC-157: 15 amino acids
    • TB-500 (thymosin beta-4): 43 amino acids (Low et al., 1981)
  • Origin
    • KPV: C-terminal end of α-MSH
    • BPC-157: Synthetic sequence
    • TB-500 (thymosin beta-4): Native β-thymosin protein
  • Molecular weight
    • KPV: ~342.4 g/mol
    • BPC-157: ~1,419.5 g/mol
    • TB-500 (thymosin beta-4): ~4,963 g/mol
  • Main research themes
    • KPV: PepT1 transport; melanocortin biology
    • BPC-157: Mostly rodent-model literature
    • TB-500 (thymosin beta-4): Actin monomer binding
  • In KLOW (from the product page)
    • KPV: 10 mg
    • BPC-157: 10 mg
    • TB-500 (thymosin beta-4): 10 mg

Sources: PubChem CID 125672 (KPV); PubChem CID 9941957 (BPC-157); PubChem CID 45382195 (thymosin beta 4); Safer et al., 1991, Journal of Biological Chemistry (actin binding).

For more on the other two molecules, see our GHK-Cu research overview, which explains the copper peptide in KLOW, and GLOW vs KLOW vs Wolverine, which compares the blends. For background on peptide terminology, see What are peptides? A primer for researchers.

KLOW and KPV

Bionova sells KPV as part of the KLOW blend. The KLOW product page lists GHK-Cu 50 mg, BPC-157 10 mg, TB-500 10 mg and KPV 10 mg, for 80 mg total. We found no peer-reviewed studies of the KLOW combination itself, so published KPV findings apply only to KPV on its own.

Other multi-compound formats are in the research blends category.

Storage notes for KPV-containing blends

  • Expect blue. KLOW is blue because of its copper-peptide component, not because of KPV. Material that looks wet, clumped or an unexpected color should be reported to the supplier.
  • Keep it sealed, cold and dry. Store the lyophilized powder in its original sealed vial, away from light and moisture.
  • Warm before opening. Let a sealed vial reach room temperature before opening so moisture does not condense on the powder.
  • Follow the label. Store as directed on the product label.

Key takeaways

  • KPV is the tripeptide Lys-Pro-Val, residues 11–13 of α-MSH, with a molecular weight of about 342 g/mol.
  • α-MSH is a 13-residue peptide derived from POMC; KPV is its C-terminal end.
  • KPV has been studied in cell lines and rodent models, including work on its uptake through the PepT1 transporter and on melanocortin-receptor questions.
  • KPV, BPC-157 and TB-500 are unrelated molecules that happen to share the KLOW vial.
  • Bionova sells KPV only as part of KLOW (KPV 10 mg per vial). It is a research material only and is not approved for human use.

Frequently asked questions

What is the KPV peptide?

KPV is a tripeptide made of lysine, proline and valine. It is the C-terminal fragment of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, residues 11 to 13.

Is KPV the same as alpha-MSH?

No. α-MSH is a 13-residue peptide. KPV is only its last three residues and is studied as a separate molecule.

What is the difference between BPC-157 and KPV?

They are unrelated. BPC-157 is a 15-residue synthetic peptide; KPV is a three-residue fragment of α-MSH. They have separate research literatures.

What is the difference between TB-500 and KPV?

TB-500, as Bionova uses the name, is the 43-residue protein thymosin beta-4 (see TB-500 vs thymosin beta-4). KPV is a three-residue fragment of α-MSH. Their structures and research literatures do not overlap.

Does Bionova sell KPV on its own?

No. Bionova currently offers KPV as a component of the KLOW research blend, listed on its product page as KPV 10 mg per vial.

Shop for your research: the KLOW blend, which includes KPV, for laboratory research. Use code CLUB10 at checkout for 10% off.

References

  1. Brzoska T, et al. Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and related tripeptides: biochemistry, antiinflammatory and protective effects in vitro and in vivo, and future perspectives for the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Endocr Rev. 2008. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18612139/
  2. Hiltz ME, Lipton JM. Antiinflammatory activity of a COOH-terminal fragment of the neuropeptide alpha-MSH. FASEB J. 1989. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2550304/
  3. Dalmasso G, et al. PepT1-mediated tripeptide KPV uptake reduces intestinal inflammation. Gastroenterology. 2008. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18061177/
  4. Kannengiesser K, et al. Melanocortin-derived tripeptide KPV has anti-inflammatory potential in murine models of inflammatory bowel disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2008. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18092346/
  5. Safer D, Elzinga M, Nachmias VT. Thymosin beta 4 and Fx, an actin-sequestering peptide, are indistinguishable. J Biol Chem. 1991. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1999398/
  6. PubChem. Msh (11-13) [Lys-Pro-Val], CID 125672. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/125672
  7. PubChem. Alpha-MSH, CID 16133793. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/16133793
  8. PubChem. BPC 157, CID 9941957. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/9941957
  9. PubChem. Thymosin beta 4, CID 45382195. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/45382195
  10. Low TL, Hu SK, Goldstein AL. Complete amino acid sequence of bovine thymosin beta 4: a thymic hormone that induces terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activity in thymocyte populations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6940133/

For laboratory research use only. Not for human consumption.