Hepatic angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 expression in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and in patients with fatal COVID-19

Figure 5 Hepatic lipid droplet content correlates with detectable severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA. A: Representative image showing extensive hepatocellular steatosis (arrowhead) in a post-mortem liver section from an ICECAP study patient who died with severe coronavirus disease-19. Scale bar: 250 µm; B: Hepatic lipid droplet content (lipid droplet-positive area); C: Hepatic angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) protein levels (ACE2-positive area); D: Histological fibrosis (picrosirius red-positive area) in ICECAP patient post-mortem liver sections were compared with the presence or absence of detectable liver severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral RNA (liver SARS-Cov-2 PCR result), in the ICECAP study patient cohort[17], using the Mann-Whitney test for unpaired group comparisons (hepatic lipid droplet content vs detectable liver SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA P < 0.05; other comparisons not statistically significant). PSR: Picrosirius red; SARS-CoV-2: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.