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

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha is activated on exposure to bacterial pathogens and regulates the innate immune functions of phagocytes. We show here that the HIF-1alpha 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 function.