The last three residues of alpha-MSH
Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone is best known for its role in pigmentation, but it also has well-documented anti-inflammatory activity. KPV is its final three residues: lysine, proline, valine.
The research question behind isolating that fragment was whether the anti-inflammatory part of the molecule could be separated from the pigmentation part. If it can, you get a tool for studying inflammation without the confounder.
The plain answer to what is KPV is the three letters themselves: K, P and V are the single-letter codes for the residues, which is about as compact as a peptide name gets. A name that is really a sequence has one practical advantage over a market label, the compound named on a certificate can be matched against the compound in the literature without anything being translated first.
Where the research concentrates
Most of the work is on inflammatory signalling in the gut, examining pathways involved in the inflammatory cascade. Cell models dominate, with some animal work in models of intestinal inflammation.
That focus is also why KPV appears in a capsule product in this catalogue. When the target sits in the gut itself, degradation on the way to the bloodstream matters much less, which is one of only two situations where the oral route is worth studying at all.
One consequence for anyone reading this work is that the model carries more weight than usual. A result from an intestinal cell line and a result from an animal model of intestinal inflammation answer different questions, and most of the confident summarising happens in the gap between the two. The combined capsule product comes out of that same gut-focused reading, which is why it exists at all in a catalogue where almost nothing is oral.
| Sequence | Lys-Pro-Val |
| Length | 3 amino acids |
| Origin | C-terminal fragment of alpha-MSH |
| Research focus | Inflammatory signalling, gut models |
| Formats | Peptide pen and capsules |
| Purity | ≥ 99% (HPLC) |
| Evidence base | Cell models and animal work |
| Category | Research use only |
Read this as a description of the material, not of anything it produces.
Why three residues changes everything
Chain length drives almost everything practical about a peptide: stability, which routes are worth testing, and how fast it disappears. At three residues KPV sits at the far end of that scale.
It also means comparisons with alpha-MSH itself need care. A fragment is not a smaller version of the parent molecule; it is a different entity with a different profile.
A fragment is a distinct entity, not a smaller copy of alpha-MSH, and the published work, searchable through the record on PubMed, treats it that way. Like everything here it is supplied for research use only, the category that governs how it may be handled.
Separating anti-inflammation from pigmentation
Alpha-MSH is an awkward experimental tool for inflammation work precisely because it does two things at once: any reading has to be interpreted against a pigment response running alongside it. A fragment carrying only one of those activities would remove that confounder, and whether this one does so cleanly is what the isolation was meant to establish rather than something its existence settles.
That places KPV in the same broad conversation as the tissue-repair compounds, even though the mechanism is different. The overview of the recovery research area shows where a gut-focused anti-inflammatory sits relative to the better-known repair peptides.
KPV in the catalogue
Batch-released at no less than 99% by HPLC, with the analysis document available on request.
Where KPV fits in
The neighbouring topics worth reading before you decide anything.
About KPV
The things people want cleared up first.