Reference
What is KPV?
KPV is a tripeptide — lysine, proline, valine — and, like GHK, its name is its sequence in single-letter amino acid code.
Classification
| Type | Peptide |
| Chain length | 3 amino acid residues |
| Family | Alpha-MSH fragment |
| Origin | The C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone |
| Supplied as | Lyophilised powder in a sealed vial |
It is the tail end of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone: the final three residues of that thirteen-residue hormone, synthesised on their own. Several compounds in this range are fragments of alpha-MSH in one form or another, which is why the melanocortin family comes up repeatedly in peptide chemistry.
Where it sits by length
At 3 residues, KPV is one of the shortest chains it is still conventional to call a peptide. The boundary is a convention, not a rule of chemistry — chains up to roughly fifty residues are generally called peptides.
What this page does not cover
Nothing here describes what KPV does, what it is used for, or whether it is safe. We publish analytical results and ship parcels; we give no guidance on dosing, preparation or use, and that applies to our reference pages as much as to the product pages. The person to ask about any of that is a registered prescriber.
Related by family
Where it came from
KPV is not a designed compound and has no discovery event. It is the last three residues of a hormone that has been known since the 1950s.
The 1980s and 1990s — Various. When was KPV first studied?
More on KPV
See KPV in the range · What is a peptide? · Discovery timeline · All reference
