KPV 10 mg vial dosage

What KPV is

Class:

Synthetic tripeptide (C-terminal fragment of alpha-MSH)

Also called:

Lys-Pro-Val, Lysine-proline-valine, KPV acetate, Alpha-MSH (11-13)

Used for:

Sold for gut inflammation, skin conditions and wound healing. Nominated to FDA as a 0.1% topical cream or gel for wound healing and inflammatory conditions. FDA found no study in which KPV was given to a human for anything.

Human evidence:

Animal / lab only. Cells and animals only. FDA's July 2026 briefing document states that neither the nominator nor FDA identified any clinical study or human exposure data for KPV by any route. A PubMed search for KPV as a peptide (queried 23 September 2026) returns 110 records and zero indexed under a clinical-trial or randomised-controlled-trial publication type.

US status:

Research use only. Not FDA-approved for any use. There is no USP or NF monograph for KPV or KPV acetate, neither is a component of an approved drug, and neither is on the 503A Bulks List, so KPV is not currently eligible for lawful 503A compounding. FDA staff proposed not adding it to the list. On 23 July 2026 the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 8-6, with one abstention, to recommend adding it; the vote is advisory, and as of 3 October 2026 no Federal Register rule has added it to the list.

The full picture, with every study: KPV guide.

How to mix a 10 mg KPV vial

For this vial: 1.5 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 6.67 mg/mL, so 350 mcg is 5.5 units (0.05 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe. Pick a different volume from the units table if you want bigger or smaller draws; the number of doses stays the same.

1. Wipe the rubber stoppers of both the peptide vial and the bacteriostatic water vial with an alcohol swab and let the alcohol dry. ^[3][4]
2. With a new sterile needle and syringe, draw up the amount of bacteriostatic water you have chosen for the dilution. ^[3][4][5]
3. Inject the water into the peptide vial by aiming the stream against the inside glass wall, which helps prevent foaming. ^[6]
4. Swirl or roll the vial gently until the powder has fully dissolved; do not shake it. Do not inject the solution if it is cloudy or has particles in it. ^[3][4][6]
5. Label the vial with the date and time it was mixed, the amount of water added and how long it can be used after mixing. ^[3]
6. Store the mixed vial in the refrigerator at 2-8°C (36-46°F) and do not freeze it. ^[6]

Step by step with pictures: how to reconstitute peptides. About the water itself: bacteriostatic water.

Storing KPV vials

• Freeze-dried (lyophilized) peptide keeps far longer than peptide in solution; peptide suppliers advise storing the powder at -20°C away from bright light. ^[7]
• Protect peptide vials from heat and light. ^[7][8]
• Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles; a prescription peptide label also says not to freeze a vial once it has been mixed. ^[6][7]
• Once a multi-dose vial, such as bacteriostatic water, has been opened (needle-punctured), date it and discard it within 28 days unless its manufacturer states another date. ^[9][10]

More detail: peptide storage and shelf life.

Injecting safely

• Clean the injection site with an alcohol swab and let the skin dry completely before injecting. ^[11][12]
• Pinch up a fold of skin and fat (not muscle) and insert the needle at a 45- to 90-degree angle: 90 degrees where there is enough fatty tissue, 45 degrees where there is little. ^[11][12][13]
• Pulling back on the plunger (aspiration) is not necessary for a subcutaneous injection, because the chance of the needle being in a blood vessel is small. ^[11]
• Inject slowly, at roughly 10 seconds per mL. ^[11]
• Common sites are the belly, the thigh and the upper arm; rotate sites, keeping each injection at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the last. ^[6][11][12]

Hygiene and warning signs

• Use a new sterile needle and syringe for every injection and every time you enter a vial; never reuse them. ^[5][9][12]
• Never share needles, syringes or pens with anyone, even if the needle is changed; unsafe injection practices spread hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. ^[5][8][9]
• Put used needles and syringes in a sharps disposal container straight away (FDA-cleared if possible), never loose in the trash, recycling or toilet, and dispose of the container following your community's guidelines. ^[14][15]
• Contact a health care provider if the injection site shows signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, red streaks or a fever. ^[12]

Where to inject: subcutaneous injection sites.

How KPV works

• KPV is the tripeptide Lys-Pro-Val: the last three amino acids (positions 11-13) of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH). Researchers took it up as an anti-inflammatory alternative because it keeps alpha-MSH's anti-inflammatory effect without its skin-pigmenting action. ^[16][17]
• It does not appear to work through the melanocortin receptors that alpha-MSH uses: in lab studies it did not displace alpha-MSH from its binding sites or raise cyclic AMP, and in mice its anti-inflammatory effect persisted when those receptors were blocked or non-functional. FDA's 2026 review concludes that its molecular targets remain unknown. ^[18][19]
• In human intestinal epithelial cells and T cells, the peptide transporter PepT1 carried KPV into the cells, where nanomolar concentrations inhibited the NF-kappaB and MAP kinase inflammatory signalling pathways and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine release. ^[20]
• In human airway epithelial cells, KPV entered the cell nucleus and stopped the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB from being imported there, apparently by interfering with the importin-alpha3 binding site. ^[21]

What the KPV research found

Human evidence: animal / lab only. Each result says what was studied.

• Animal studyIn a 1989 mouse study, graded doses of alpha-MSH(11-13) reduced chemically induced ear swelling in a dose-related way. ^[22]
• Animal studyIn mice with DSS- or TNBS-induced colitis, KPV given in drinking water reduced the incidence of colitis, with lower pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. ^[20]
• Animal studyIn a separate study of two mouse colitis models (DSS and T-cell transfer colitis), KPV-treated mice recovered earlier, regained more weight and had fewer inflammatory infiltrates; in mice with a non-functional MC1 receptor, KPV prevented death from DSS colitis in every treated animal. ^[23]
• Animal studyIn a mouse model of colitis-associated bowel cancer, KPV prevented tumour formation in normal mice but had no effect in mice lacking the PepT1 transporter. ^[24]
• Lab studyIn laboratory cultures, alpha-MSH and KPV inhibited colony formation by Staphylococcus aureus and reduced the viability of the yeast Candida albicans. ^[16]
• Lab studyOn human skin samples in the lab, KPV did not pass through intact skin in detectable amounts; microneedle pre-treatment and a small electric current (iontophoresis) raised its passage, and labelled KPV reached the lower epidermis. ^[25]

KPV side effects and risks

FDA's 2026 review found no clinical studies or human exposure data for KPV, so no human side effects are documented; the points below are what that review could and could not find.

• Regulator reviewFDA's 2026 review found no clinical studies or human exposure data for KPV by any route, and concluded that the potential safety risks of using it in people are unknown. ^[19]
• Regulator reviewFDA's search of its adverse-event database (FAERS) and the medical literature up to 3 December 2025 found no adverse-event reports and no case reports involving KPV. ^[19]
• Regulator reviewFDA identified no acute toxicity, repeat-dose toxicity, genotoxicity, reproductive toxicity or carcinogenicity studies of KPV or KPV acetate. ^[19]
• Regulator reviewFDA states there is not enough data to conclude that KPV does not carry risks of immunogenicity (an immune reaction against the peptide) or aggregation, noting that peptides as short as two amino acids have been shown to aggregate. ^[19]

Other things to know

• No human safety data exist. FDA found no clinical studies, no human pharmacokinetic data, and no acute, repeat-dose, genotoxicity, reproductive or carcinogenicity studies for KPV or KPV acetate. The agency states that the potential risks of human use are unknown.
• FDA flags immunogenicity and aggregation as open questions. It notes that peptides with as few as two amino acids have been shown to aggregate, and that there is not enough data to conclude KPV does not carry these risks.
• FDA judged both the free base and the acetate salt not well-characterised. It cites inconsistent naming, missing impurity, aggregate and microbiological testing, and a nomination whose certificate of analysis named one form while its formula matched the other.
• In a cadaver-skin study FDA reviewed, KPV applied to intact skin did not permeate well. That could limit a topical product's effect, and nobody has measured what happens when the skin barrier is broken.

Reported side effects and what the studies measured: KPV side effects.

Where this vial size comes from

KPV is sold as a 10 mg vial by the pages below, each checked on the date shown. I list them as evidence that this size exists, not as a recommendation to buy from them.

• BioEdge Research LabsvendorLists it as: "Vial Size: 3 mL sterile vial", 10mg listing · checked 2026-09-28
• Next Level PharmvendorLists it as: Size dropdown lists 5mg and 10mg · checked 2026-09-28

The doses come from the sourced common protocol on the KPV dosing page, and every number on this page is arithmetic on those doses and this vial size.

Where to buy KPV for research

Sold for research use only. Listed by Next Level Pharm and BioEdge Research Labs; compare them on my vendors page or see the listing on the KPV page.

Questions

How much water do I add to a 10 mg KPV vial?

There is no single correct amount: water changes how many units a dose is, not how many doses the vial holds. With 1.5 mL the vial is 6.67 mg/mL and 350 mcg is 5.5 units (0.05 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe. The units table gives 1.5, 3, 5 mL.

How many doses are in a 10 mg KPV vial?

50 doses at 200 mcg, 28 doses at 350 mcg, 20 doses at 500 mcg.

How long does a 10 mg KPV vial last?

At 350 mcg a dose and once or twice daily, about 2-4 weeks. How long a mixed vial keeps is a separate limit; see storage below.

How many 10 mg vials do I need for a cycle?

1 vial at 200 mcg 7 times a week for 4 weeks; 6 vials at 500 mcg 14 times a week for 8 weeks.

What does 1 unit equal in a 10 mg KPV vial?

66.67 mcg with 1.5 mL, 33.33 mcg with 3 mL, 20 mcg with 5 mL of bacteriostatic water, on a U-100 syringe.