Overview

KPV is a very small peptide made of three amino acids (lysine, proline, valine). It is the tail end of alpha-MSH, a natural hormone that calms inflammation. It is talked about for gut inflammation and skin healing, but it has only been studied in cells and animals.

How it works

Proposed from lab and mouse studies. KPV enters gut-lining and immune cells through the PepT1 peptide transporter and dampens the NF-κB inflammation pathway, lowering inflammatory signals ¹. In mice lacking the melanocortin-1 receptor (the receptor behind α-MSH's tanning effect), KPV still reduced colitis, suggesting it works at least partly without that receptor; whether it has any skin-darkening effect in people is untested ³.

What research shows

Mouse colitis models: oral KPV reduced inflammation and tissue damage; effect depended on the PepT1 transporter (cell and animal study) ¹.
Mouse study: KPV packaged in hyaluronic-acid nanoparticles and given by mouth reduced ulcerative-colitis-like disease ².
Two mouse colitis models (chemical and immune-cell transfer): KPV sped recovery and reduced gut inflammation, including in mice lacking the melanocortin-1 receptor ³.
No published human trials. FDA says it found no human exposure data for KPV products, and briefing documents noted a lack of toxicology data ⁴⁷.

Doses studied in people

No published human dosing data; doses circulating online are extrapolated from animal studies.

Read this first: these are the amounts given to participants in published studies or written on official prescribing labels, reported for reference. They are not recommendations. Trial doses were chosen for specific patients under medical supervision, and a dose that is safe in one person can be harmful in another.

Weekly protocol

How the schedule looks week by week. Each chart says where it comes from: a prescribing label, a clinical trial, or a protocol commonly reported online.

Commonly reported protocol

Commonly reported, not studied

One week

D1D2D3D4D5D6D7

Once daily · Subcutaneous injection

Syringe units (U-100)

Vial Water added

Dose by week

200 mcgwk 1

300 mcgwk 2

400 mcgwk 3

500 mcgwk 4–8

Supplies for one course (estimate)

Counts only. This site does not sell or link to supplies.

Course: 8–12 weeks (up to 16)
Note: No human dosing data exist; figures are not derived from trials. Another guide lists 200–500 mcg daily for 4–8 weeks, or oral capsules.
Source: PeptideDosages.com: KPV (10 mg vial) dosage protocol
Also: Peptide Protocol Wiki: KPV dosing protocols

Reference only, not a recommendation. Charts marked "commonly reported" describe what public sources say people use. They have not been tested in trials, and their safety and effect are unknown. Label and trial schedules were set for specific patients under medical supervision. Use the calculator only to understand the arithmetic.

Vial math

Many research vials hold 5 or 10 mg of powder. This table shows how much ends up in each mark on a U-100 insulin syringe for common amounts of added liquid. It is arithmetic only, not a dose.

Vial	Liquid added	Concentration	Per unit (0.01 mL)
5 mg	1 mL	5 mg/mL	50 mcg	Open in calculator
5 mg	2 mL	2.5 mg/mL	25 mcg	Open in calculator
5 mg	3 mL	1.67 mg/mL	16.7 mcg	Open in calculator
10 mg	1 mL	10 mg/mL	100 mcg	Open in calculator
10 mg	2 mL	5 mg/mL	50 mcg	Open in calculator
10 mg	3 mL	3.33 mg/mL	33.3 mcg	Open in calculator

More sizes: all vial sizes · How this works: Syringes and units · Reconstitution guide.

Safety

Human safety is unknown; FDA states it lacks important safety information on KPV ⁴.
No toxicology package has been published for the routes people use ⁷.
Gray-market products have no quality control.

Report side effects of any drug or product to the FDA through MedWatch. For a possible poisoning in the US, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Legal status

FDA: Not FDA-approved ⁸.
Compounding: In 503A Category 2 from 2023 until about April 22, 2026, when it was removed after the nomination was withdrawn; removal does not make it legal to compound ⁵. On July 23, 2026 the PCAC voted 8-6 (1 abstention) to recommend adding KPV to the 503A bulks list (wound healing and inflammatory conditions), against FDA staff advice; advisory only, rulemaking needed ⁶⁷⁸. Update: on October 28, 2026 HHS issued an interim enforcement discretion policy covering KPV: HHS does not intend to take action against 503A pharmacies, federal facilities or physicians that compound it under set conditions (patient-specific prescription, FDA-registered ingredient source with a certificate of analysis, single ingredient, adverse-event reporting), limited to by mouth or on the skin. This is not FDA approval, is non-binding, and applies only until a final rule on the 503A bulks list ¹⁰¹¹.
Sports (WADA): Not specifically named on the 2026 list; as an unapproved substance it may fall under the S0 catch-all ⁹.
Other: Not a DEA-controlled substance.

Rules change often. See Legal status of peptides for how these categories work.

History

KPV is the last three amino acids of α-MSH, a hormone long studied for its anti-inflammatory effects. In 2008 two mouse studies showed KPV reduced colitis, one tracing its uptake to the PepT1 transporter ¹³, and later work tested nanoparticle delivery ². FDA placed KPV in 503A Category 2 in 2023 and removed it in April 2026 after the nomination was withdrawn ⁴⁵.

Common questions

Is KPV FDA-approved?

No. KPV is not FDA-approved ⁸.

What does the research on KPV show?

Only cell and mouse studies, where KPV given by mouth reduced gut inflammation in colitis models ¹²³. There are no published human trials ⁴.

Have any human doses been studied?

No. FDA says it found no human exposure data for KPV products, and briefing documents noted a lack of toxicology (safety testing) data ⁴⁷.

Is KPV safe?

Human safety is unknown, and FDA says it lacks important safety information on KPV ⁴. No toxicology package has been published for the routes people use ⁷.

Can KPV be legally compounded?

It was removed from FDA's Category 2 list in April 2026, but that did not make it legal to compound ⁵. An FDA advisory committee voted 8-6 in July 2026 to recommend allowing it, against FDA staff advice, but rulemaking is still needed ⁶⁷⁸. Update: on October 28, 2026 HHS issued an interim, non-binding policy saying it does not intend to take action against licensed pharmacies, federal facilities or physicians that compound KPV under set conditions, including a patient-specific prescription. This is not FDA approval, and it applies only until a final rule on the 503A bulks list ¹⁰¹¹.

Is KPV banned in sport?

It is not specifically named on WADA's 2026 list, but as an unapproved substance it may fall under the S0 catch-all rule ⁹.

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KLOW blend Tri-Heal blend

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