KPV, MOTS-c, Humanin & FOXO4-DRI

All four peptides on this page are sold online as research chemicals, are not FDA-approved for any use, and none has a completed human interventional trial — the evidence for each is cell-culture and animal research. This page describes what's known — not dosing or usage guidance, and not a recommendation to use any of them. Talk to a doctor before considering any of them.

KPV is a tripeptide fragment of alpha-MSH, studied for anti-inflammatory effects through inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway — the master switch cells use to activate inflammatory genes. The strongest preclinical evidence is in gut-inflammation models relevant to conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. There are no published human clinical trials of KPV; everything published so far is cell and animal research.

MOTS-c is a mitochondrial-derived peptide — encoded within mitochondrial DNA rather than the nuclear genome — studied for effects on cellular energy metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and exercise capacity, largely through AMPK pathway activation. Research has included observational human studies (for example, tracking how MOTS-c levels change with exercise in specific populations), but there are no completed human interventional trials administering MOTS-c itself, and it is not FDA-approved for any use.

Humanin is another mitochondrial-derived peptide, originally identified in a search for factors protecting neurons in Alzheimer's disease research, and since studied for broader cytoprotective and metabolic effects. As with MOTS-c, there are observational human studies of naturally occurring Humanin levels (for instance, rising after resistance training), but no registered clinical trials administering Humanin as a treatment, and no FDA approval for any use.

FOXO4-DRI is a synthetic "senolytic" peptide engineered to selectively trigger the death of senescent ("zombie") cells that accumulate with age, based on disrupting a protein-protein interaction involving the FOXO4 and p53 proteins. It's the subject of a widely cited 2017 mouse study showing signs of functional rejuvenation in aged animals. No human trials of FOXO4-DRI have been published — every claimed benefit rests entirely on that animal data, and it is not FDA-approved for any use.

Peptpedia — FOXO4-DRI: Human Trial Status, Cancer Research & Senolytic Data →

None of these four peptides is FDA-approved for any use. Their US compounding-pharmacy status differs: KPV and MOTS-c were both removed from the FDA's Category 2 "significant safety risk" list effective April 22, 2026, and on July 23–24, 2026 the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted to recommend both for the compounding-permitted list — a recommendation, not a rule change, and still awaiting formal FDA rulemaking (typically 8–24 months) before it would affect legal compounding status. Humanin and FOXO4-DRI have not gone through that same process and remain in a more basic unregulated-research-chemical status, sold online with no purity or dosing oversight.

FDA — Bulk Drug Substances Used in Compounding →

PMC — MOTS-c: A Promising Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide for Therapeutic Exploitation