Pharmacologic augmentation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α with mimosine boosts the bactericidal capacity of phagocytes

Abstract

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α is activated on exposure to bacterial pathogens and regulates the innate immune functions of phagocytes. We show here that the HIF-1α agonist mimosine can boost the capacity of human phagocytes and whole blood to kill the leading pathogen Staphylococcus aureus in a dose-dependent fashion and reduce the lesion size in a murine model of S. aureus skin infection. This provides the first proof of principle for a novel approach to the treatment of bacterial infection by pharmacologically augmenting the host phagocytic cell function. © 2007 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.