Recent evidence and possible therapy against covid-19-mediated hepatic dysfunction

Abstract

Over the years, a novel RNA coronavirus has emerged with mutational episodes. This virus was confirmed to cause severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19). This particular emphasis has raised the risk signal at the global level. Hepatic injury has been known to be a major impairment with varying factors. In recent years, the mechanistic event of hepatic injury is now more controversial and has a lack of justifiable set. Nevertheless, it has been investigated for the prominence of inflammatory signals, viral load in hepatocytes, followed by an intensive care therapeutic defense, and/or drug toxicity. Limited reports are available on infection-mediated hepatic injury, and its associated mechanism is still poorly understood. In the context of COVID-19 infections, the initial episode is pulmonary disorder with a systemic infection in multiple organs, including the liver. The majority of the reported cases reveal hepatic damage or dysfunction among COVID-19-infected patients. Prevalence of altered biochemistry of liver enzymes was also observed in the COVID-19 infected population. Our review focuses on the probable mechanisms and therapeutic options of COVID-19 and its associated hepatic dysfunction. We also discuss the available prescribed medications against COVID-19 infections, such as remdesiver, oseltamivir, lopinavir/ritonavir, ribavirin, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-based therapies.