Future Microbiology · Feb 18, 2026

Repurposing statins as potential antifungal agents for Candida albicans: in-vitro and in-silico approach

By Patel M, Patil C, Kalapahad B et al.

AIM: Candida is a devastating fungal pathogen causing infection, exhibiting biofilm formation and leading to significant mortality and morbidity. This study aims to evaluate the antifungal efficacy of Atorvastatin against Candida albicans. METHODOLOGY: We compared the antifungal activity of two statins, Atorvastatin and Simvastatin, against C. albicans (MTCC 854) using well diffusion, broth dilution for method for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and non-inhibitory concentration (NIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), as well as growth kinetic assay. Furthermore, the anti-biofilm activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation assays were performed. Molecular docking studies were conducted with C. albicans target proteins to analyze binding interactions. RESULTS: Atorvastatin demonstrated a larger zone of inhibition than amphotericin B (positive control) and a lower MIC (6.65 µg/ml), whereas Simvastatin was found to be less effective. Further, Atorvastatin showed better growth inhibitory and anti-biofilm activity in comparison to Simvastatin. ROS generation assay revealed an 18-fold increase in oxidative stress with Atorvastatin, while Simvastatin showed only a 4-fold increase. Molecular docking confirmed high binding affinity of Atorvastatin as compared with lovastatin and simvastatin to key virulence proteins of C. albicans, supporting its antifungal potential. CONCLUSIONS: Atorvastatin exhibits antifungal activity against C. albicans by targeting multiple proteins and can be used as a repurposed antifungal agent. The present study is aligned with SDG-3.

doi.org/10.1080/17460913.2026.2629108 Open access PubMed 41709647 Interventions