Disclosed herein are prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors of the formulae:(see formula I or II)that can stabilize hypoxia inducible factor- 1 alpha (HIF- I.alpha.), as wellas hypoxia induciblefactor-2 (HIF-2). Also disclosed herein are pharmaceutical compositionscomprising one or moreof the disclosed compounds. Yet further disclosed are methods for stimulatingthe cellularimmune response in a mammal such as increasing phagocytosis, for example,prolonging the lifeof phagocytes, inter alia, kerotyiocytes, neutrophils. As such the disclosedcompounds providemethods for treating diseases that relate to the body's immune response.
