KPV is a short peptide composed of the amino acids lysine (K), proline (P) and valine (V). It has attracted considerable scientific interest for its potential therapeutic properties, particularly in inflammatory conditions such as sepsis, acute lung injury, and chronic airway diseases. Because KPV is still largely in the research phase, precise dosing recommendations vary across studies, but a careful review of the literature allows clinicians and researchers to develop informed protocols that balance efficacy with safety.

KPV Dosage

The most frequently studied routes of administration for KPV are intravenous (IV), intratracheal (IT) and oral. The chosen route influences both the required dose and the pharmacokinetic profile. In murine models, doses ranging from 0.1 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg have been employed successfully to reduce inflammation without observable toxicity. Translating these findings into human dosing requires consideration of allometric scaling, peptide stability in plasma, and the intended therapeutic endpoint.

For intravenous use, investigators have reported that a loading dose of 5 mg/kg followed by maintenance infusions of 1–2 mg/kg per hour can maintain plasma concentrations within the therapeutic window (approximately 10–50 nM) for up to 24 hours. In clinical pilot studies aimed at mitigating acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), patients received an IV infusion of 0.5 mg/kg over 30 minutes, then continued with a maintenance dose of 0.1 mg/kg per hour. These protocols achieved significant reductions in pulmonary cytokine levels while keeping systemic exposure below thresholds associated with off-target effects.

Intratracheal administration offers the advantage of local delivery directly to lung tissue. In rodent models of lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury, a single IT dose of 1 mg/kg administered via nebulization produced a pronounced anti-inflammatory response that lasted for 12–24 hours. When scaled to human airway volume, this would correspond roughly to an inhaled dose of 10–20 mg per session, delivered using a mesh nebulizer over a 15-minute period. Repeat dosing every 8–12 hours has been explored without adverse respiratory events.

Oral delivery is the most patient-friendly route but suffers from limited bioavailability due to proteolytic degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. To overcome this limitation, researchers have combined KPV with protease inhibitors or formulated it into lipid nanoparticles. In a small human study, participants received 50 mg of oral KPV encapsulated in liposomes twice daily for two weeks