KPV
Also known as Lysine-Proline-Valine, α-MSH(11-13)
KPV is a three-residue peptide taken from the C-terminus of α-MSH. A research-use profile: its melanocortin origin, why the tripeptide is studied on its own, and how it's handled.
KPV is almost the smallest thing you can call a peptide and still have it be interesting — just three amino acids, lysine-proline-valine. What makes it worth a page is not its size but its pedigree: it is the tail end of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, clipped off and studied in isolation.
The account below sticks to what is established — its identity as an α-MSH fragment, the research areas the melanocortin literature places it in, and how it is handled in the lab. It avoids the language of outcomes and dosing entirely.
KPV is a tripeptide corresponding to the last three residues (positions 11–13) of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH). It is one of the shortest peptides in the research catalog — three amino acids, no disulfide bonds.
A fragment of α-MSH
α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone is a 13-residue peptide from the melanocortin family, itself derived from the larger precursor protein pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC). KPV corresponds to its final three residues — positions 11, 12, and 13. Written out, that is Lys-Pro-Val, the same three letters that give the peptide its name.
Isolating the C-terminal tripeptide is a deliberate research strategy: it separates a defined tail region from the parts of α-MSH that engage the classical pigmentation machinery, letting researchers study that short segment on its own terms. That is why KPV is discussed as an α-MSH fragment rather than as a melanocortin agonist in its own right.
Why a three-letter peptide gets studied at all
Short peptides are attractive to researchers precisely because they are simple: a defined, unambiguous sequence, no folding to worry about, and easy synthesis and characterization. KPV's tripeptide identity means a certificate of analysis should map cleanly onto a very small, well-defined mass — there is not much room for interpretation.
Its brevity is also why it is so frequently mentioned alongside other small recovery-context peptides like BPC-157 and GHK-Cu: these are all short, defined sequences studied in overlapping tissue and barrier research areas, and they are easy to group together for that reason.
These are research areas the compound is associated with in the literature — not medical claims or intended uses.
Handling & storage
Supplied lyophilized. Stored sealed and cold; reconstituted with bacteriostatic water only when a protocol requires it, then kept refrigerated. As a very short peptide it is straightforward to characterize — handle per accepted laboratory practice.
Verify a certificate by lot →Common questions
It is simply the one-letter codes of its three amino acids: K (lysine), P (proline), V (valine). The peptide is Lys-Pro-Val.
KPV is the C-terminal tripeptide of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone — residues 11 through 13. It is a fragment of that larger 13-residue melanocortin peptide.
This page does not make functional claims. KPV is studied as an isolated C-terminal fragment, separated from the parts of α-MSH associated with classical pigment signaling; that separation is the reason researchers examine the tripeptide on its own.
This monograph is a research-use reference. It describes composition and the contexts in which the compound has been studied — it is not medical advice, a description of effects, or a recommendation for use. Sold strictly for laboratory and research use; not for human or animal consumption.