Hypoxia, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, and innate antileishmanial immune responses

Abstract

Low oxygen environments and accumulation of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are features of infected and inflamed tissues. Here, we summarize our current knowledge on oxygen levels found in Leishmania-infected tissues and discuss which mechanisms potentially contribute to local tissue oxygenation in leishmanial lesions. Moreover, we review the role of hypoxia and HIF-1 on innate antileishmanial immune responses.