Introduction Hypoxia-inducible factor is a key transcriptional factor involved in the cellular response to low levels of oxygen, hypoxia. Moreover, hypoxiainducible factor has been recently associated with a role in inflammation and immunity. Importantly, hypoxiainducible factor is regulated by the major inflammatory responsive transcription factor, nuclear factor-κB. These two major pathways have been intimately linked. On one hand, they share a number of common target genes; on the other hand, physical interactions between hypoxiainducible factor subunits and nuclear factor-κB have been observed. Even though the role of nuclear factor-κB over hypoxia-inducible factor is fairly well-known, the involvement of hypoxia-inducible factor over the nuclear factor-κB pathway is not. Given the overlap between these pathways, it would not be surprising to find a functional involvement of hypoxiainducible factor in processes where nuclear factor-κB is involved. In this review, we will describe the communalities between hypoxia-inducible factor and nuclear factor-κB pathways, highlighting the crosstalk that occurs in a variety of conditions. Conclusion Taken together all the communalities between hypoxia-inducible factor and nuclear factor-κB pathways, there is no doubt that a cross-