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Review
. 2023 Jan 21;29(3):425-449.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i3.425.

COVID-19 and hepatic injury: cellular and molecular mechanisms in diverse liver cells

Fares E M Ali  1 , Mostafa K Abd El-Aziz  2 , Mahmoud M Ali  2 , Osama M Ghogar  3 , Adel G Bakr  4
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19 and hepatic injury: cellular and molecular mechanisms in diverse liver cells

Fares E M Ali et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a global health and economic challenge. Hepatic injuries have been approved to be associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The viral tropism pattern of SARS-CoV-2 can induce hepatic injuries either by itself or by worsening the conditions of patients with hepatic diseases. Besides, other factors have been reported to play a crucial role in the pathological forms of hepatic injuries induced by SARS-CoV-2, including cytokine storm, hypoxia, endothelial cells, and even some treatments for COVID-19. On the other hand, several groups of people could be at risk of hepatic COVID-19 complications, such as pregnant women and neonates. The present review outlines and discusses the interplay between SARS-CoV-2 infection and hepatic injury, hepatic illness comorbidity, and risk factors. Besides, it is focused on the vaccination process and the role of developed vaccines in preventing hepatic injuries due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 comorbidity; Hepatic injury; Vaccination; Viral tropism.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Risk factors and possible mechanisms of COVID-19-associated liver injury. COVID-19: Coronavirus disease 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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