In brief
KPV is the three-residue C-terminal fragment of alpha-MSH (Lys-Pro-Val) and is anti-inflammatory, but how it enters cells was unknown. This paper shows that it uses PepT1, a transporter of small peptides that is normally confined to the small intestine and is switched on in the colon during inflammatory bowel disease. In intestinal epithelial cells and Jurkat T cells stimulated with pro-inflammatory cytokines, nanomolar KPV blocked activation of NF-κB and MAP-kinase signalling and reduced cytokine secretion, and competition experiments showed uptake through PepT1. In mice with colitis induced by DSS or TNBS, KPV given orally in drinking water reduced inflammation on histology and lowered inflammatory cytokine messenger RNA.
Study design
Human intestinal epithelial and T-cell lines exposed to inflammatory cytokines with or without KPV, plus two chemically induced colitis models in mice with KPV in drinking water.
What it does not show
Cell lines and chemically induced colitis in mice, with KPV taken by mouth. The oral route and the induced-colitis models are specific to this experiment and do not describe any other route or condition.
Results in rodents or other animals often do not reproduce in people. Species, route, dose and the injury or disease model all shape the outcome, and an effect in a rat is a reason for further study, not a conclusion.
Where this paper is cited
- KPV — KPV is taken up by the PepT1 transporter in intestinal epithelial cells and reduced inflammation in two mouse colitis models.
- GHK-Cu + BPC-157 + TB-500 + KPV — KPV is taken up by the PepT1 transporter in intestinal epithelial cells and reduced inflammation in two mouse colitis models.
Other papers cited for KPV and GHK-Cu + BPC-157 + TB-500 + KPV
- Review Brain-gut Axis and Pentadecapeptide BPC 157: Theoretical and Practical Implications Sikiric et al. (2016), Curr Neuropharmacol
- Review GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin Regeneration Pickart et al. (2015), Biomed Res Int
- Review Thymosin β4: a multi-functional regenerative peptide. Basic properties and clinical applications Goldstein et al. (2012), Expert Opin Biol Ther
- Review Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and related tripeptides: biochemistry, antiinflammatory and protective effects in vitro and in vivo, and future perspectives for the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases Brzoska et al. (2008), Endocr Rev
Further reading
- Research library: every paper cited on this site, by compound and by study type.
- Repair and recovery peptide comparison
- Melanocortin peptides: Melanotan II and KPV
- How to read a certificate of analysis
How this page was made: the citation was retrieved from PubMed by PMID and checked against the title on the product page; the summary was written from the paper's abstract and reports only what the abstract reports. Read the paper itself before relying on any figure here.