外排泵（EP）介导的多药耐药性（MDR）似乎在细菌感染和肿瘤疾病中普遍存在。这些外排机制的多样性和缺乏特异性给开发调节外排泵的药物带来了很大的障碍。由于开发新型化疗药物需要大量投资，因此药物再利用提供了一种新方法，可以作为治疗耐药微生物感染和进行性癌症疾病的佐剂提供替代方案。羟甲基戊二酰辅酶 A (HMG-CoA) 还原酶抑制剂，也称为他汀类药物，在这方面是有前途的药物。最初，他汀类药物用于治疗血脂异常和预防心血管疾病；然而，最近进行了广泛的研究来阐明他汀类药物在细菌感染和癌症中的功能。甲羟戊酸途径对于与重要真核细胞功能相关的蛋白质的翻译后修饰至关重要。在本文中，对 HMG-CoA 还原酶抑制剂在控制细菌和肿瘤起源的疾病中可能发挥的作用进行了比较综述。分子研究和临床研究已经证明了他汀类药物在该领域的合理性。迫切需要进一步精心设计的临床试验来阐明他汀类药物对降低细菌感染和癌症疾病进展风险的重要性。

Efflux pump (EP)-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) seems ubiquitous in bacterial infections and neoplastic diseases. The diversity and lack of specificity of these efflux mechanisms raise a great obstacle in developing drugs that modulate efflux pumps. Since developing novel chemotherapeutic drugs requires large investments, drug repurposing offers a new approach that can provide alternatives as adjuvants in treating resistant microbial infections and progressive cancerous diseases. Hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme-A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, also known as statins, are promising agents in this respect. Originally, statins were used in the therapy of dyslipidemia and for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases; however, extensive research has recently been performed to elucidate the functions of statins in bacterial infections and cancers. The mevalonate pathway is essential in the posttranslational modification of proteins related to vital eukaryotic cell functions. In this article, a comparative review is given about the possible role of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors in managing diseases of bacterial and neoplastic origin. Molecular research and clinical studies have proven the justification of statins in this field. Further well-designed clinical trials are urged to clarify the significance of the contribution of statins to the lower risk of disease progression in bacterial infections and cancerous diseases.