Molecular Structure Explorer
KPV
Structure of the compound covered in this guide.
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Cleared Peptides research team
Research use only. KPV (Lys-Pro-Val): Research Guide is supplied for laboratory research. It is not a drug, food, cosmetic, or dietary supplement. It is not FDA-approved. It is not for human or veterinary administration. This page does not give a dose or a method of administration. A study cited on this page describes that study’s own test article. It does not make this lot an approved medicine. To check a fact, open the PubMed or DOI link, confirm the authors and year, and match the paper’s compound name, CAS number, or sequence to the specification table. The full method is on the research desk page. Identity and purity for a lot are only what that lot’s certificate of analysis reports. An HPLC percentage is not a sterility result and not an endotoxin result unless the certificate prints those tests.
KPV is the tripeptide Lys-Pro-Val, corresponding to residues 11–13 at the C-terminus of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH). It is one of the smallest bioactive fragments studied from the melanocortin family and a convenient tool compound for peptide-transport and inflammatory-signaling research.
KPV Structure and Identifiers
| Name | KPV |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | Lys-Pro-Val; α-MSH (11–13) |
| CAS number | 67727-97-3 |
| PubChem CID | 125672 |
| Molecular formula | C16H30N4O4 |
| Molecular weight | ≈342.4 g/mol |
| Sequence | Lys-Pro-Val |
| Form | Lyophilized powder |
Origin in the Melanocortin System
α-MSH is a 13-residue peptide derived from pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC). Its C-terminal tripeptide KPV was identified as a fragment that retains activity in several anti-inflammatory assay systems while lacking the full melanocortin-receptor pharmacophore (His-Phe-Arg-Trp), which makes it useful for separating receptor-dependent and receptor-independent effects.
Published In-Vitro Research Areas
- NF-κB and MAPK signaling in epithelial and immune-cell models
- Uptake through the di/tripeptide transporter PepT1 in intestinal epithelial cells
- Cytokine-expression assays
- Nanoparticle and delivery-formulation studies
This summary describes laboratory research only and makes no claim about effects in humans or animals.
Purity Testing and Storage
Every lot of KPV supplied by Cleared Peptides is tested by an independent laboratory for identity and purity (or composition, for multi-component preparations), and the lot Certificate of Analysis is published on our COA page. Store lyophilized KPV at −20 °C, sealed, dry and protected from light. Allow the vial to reach room temperature before opening and minimize freeze–thaw cycles. Handle according to your institution’s chemical-hygiene procedures.
Research materials referenced in this guide
Analytical testing notes for KPV
KPV is identified in this guide as CAS 67727-97-3, formula C16H30N4O4, listed mass ≈342.4 g/mol. The sequence recorded here is Lys-Pro-Val. An identity test compares a measurement with those values. A mass spectrum is the usual measurement for a peptide. FTIR, when a certificate uses it, is a supporting infrared fingerprint and is less specific for closely related sequences.
KPV is a short peptide. Short, polar sequences retain weakly on C18 unless the mobile phase contains an ion-pairing acid such as trifluoroacetic acid. Detection is usually ultraviolet at 214 nm, because many of these sequences have no tryptophan or tyrosine and are nearly silent at 280 nm. Mass spectrometry, and MS/MS when isomers are plausible, is what distinguishes one short sequence from another with a similar retention time.
HPLC purity for this material is an area-percent result at the wavelength and gradient the laboratory states, commonly ultraviolet detection near 214 nm on a reversed-phase column. The instrument is a gradient pump, injector, column oven, and UV or diode-array detector. That percentage is not the number of milligrams in the vial. Water, acetate, trifluoroacetate, and other UV-silent material can dominate the gross weight while the purity figure stays high. Net peptide content, from an assay or amino-acid analysis, is the separate result to read when the certificate reports it.
A sterility test and an endotoxin test are not included in a chemical purity result. The compendial sterility test is a culture method (USP <71>): membrane filtration or direct inoculation into fluid thioglycollate medium and soybean-casein digest medium, incubated for 14 days. A PCR sterility screen uses a thermal cycler to detect microbial DNA and is a different method. The endotoxin test (USP <85> LAL, or USP <86> recombinant Factor C) reports endotoxin units with an incubating reader or a cartridge reader. Use a result only when that method is printed on the lot certificate. One published example in this catalog states that the report does not cover microbial contamination or endotoxins. The full description of equipment, standards, and how US laboratory accreditation works is in peptide analytical testing. Lot records are on the COA page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is KPV derived from?
KPV is the C-terminal tripeptide (residues 11–13) of α-MSH.
What is the CAS number of KPV?
67727-97-3; molecular formula C16H30N4O4.
Is KPV for human use?
No. Cleared Peptides supplies KPV for laboratory research use only; it is not for human or veterinary use.
Written by the Cleared Peptides Research Desk, the editorial desk of Cleared Wellness Group LLC. This is not a personal profile of a physician or a scientist, and it is not a fictional author. The checking method is public on the research desk page. Last reviewed October 2026.
KPV research note: three residues of α-MSH, not the whole hormone
Research use only. This KPV material is the tripeptide Lys-Pro-Val for laboratory research, CAS 67727-97-3. It is not α-MSH, it is not a drug, and it is not for human or veterinary administration.
α-MSH is a 13-residue peptide cut from pro-opiomelanocortin. KPV is residues 11–13, the C-terminal tripeptide. The catalog mass is about 342.4 g/mol, formula C16H30N4O4. A paper that injected or applied full-length α-MSH is background for the parent hormone. It is evidence about KPV only in the experiments that actually used Lys-Pro-Val.
Brzoska, Luger, Maaser, and colleagues (Endocrine Reviews, 2008) review α-MSH and the related tripeptides, including anti-inflammatory work in cells and in animal models, melanocortin receptors, and pathways such as NF-κB. The article is a review with a therapeutic outlook in its title. That outlook is the authors’ perspective. It is not a finding that this vial treats a disease, and this page will not repeat disease claims as if they were lot specifications. The useful instruction for a reader is narrower: open the review and see which cited experiment used the tripeptide rather than the 13-mer. PubMed 18612139, DOI 10.1210/er.2007-0027.
Analytically, a tripeptide this small and this polar is easy to lose in the solvent front of a reversed-phase method. A purity claim needs a method that retains it, usually with ion pairing, and a mass that matches 342.4 rather than the mass of intact α-MSH.
How to verify this note
- Match Lys-Pro-Val and CAS 67727-97-3. Do not match a 13-residue α-MSH mass and call it KPV.
- In Brzoska 2008, separate tripeptide experiments from full-hormone experiments before quoting a result.
- Keep the certificate as the only lot record.
Selected References
Peer-reviewed literature on the compounds discussed in this guide, listed as scientific background for laboratory researchers. Citation does not imply endorsement by the authors or any use other than in-vitro research.
- Catania A, et al. The neuropeptide alpha-MSH in host defense. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000;917:227-31. PubMed 11268348 · DOI
- Ichiyama T, et al. The neuroimmunomodulatory peptide alpha-MSH. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000;917:221-6. PubMed 11268347 · DOI
Laboratory note: solubility depends on salt form and solvent. This guide does not state a single solubility figure. Handling of lyophilized material is described in the peptide storage guide.
Research Use Only Notice
This guide is provided for educational and laboratory reference purposes. It summarizes published, primarily in-vitro and structural research literature and does not describe, recommend or imply any use in humans or animals. Products sold by Cleared Peptides are for laboratory research use only; they are not drugs, foods, cosmetics or dietary supplements, are not FDA-approved, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease. No dosing, administration or therapeutic information is provided.
