Pharmaconutrition strategy to resolve SARS-CoV-2-induced inflammatory cytokine storm in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids

Abstract

Inflammation is one of the primary factors associated with the causation and/or progression of several lifestyle disorders, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a spectrum of disorders, and starts with simple steatosis, progresses to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and then advances to fibrosis, cirrhosis and finally, hepatocellular carcinoma, due to perpetual cycles of insults caused by inflammation and other cellular stress. Emerging evidence has documented that patients with NAFLD have severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and patients with COVID-19 have a higher liver injury and mortality. Although the exact cause or mechanism is not known, inflammatory cytokine storm is a characteristic feature of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and is known to be associated with higher mortality among COVID-19 patients. Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be a major concern in NAFLD patients, who have contracted SARS-CoV-2 infection and develop COVID-19. This is evident in patients at any stage of the NAFLD spectrum, as the inflammatory cytokine storm may cause and/or aggravate the progression or severity of NAFLD. Thus, there is a need for resolution of the inflammatory cytokine storm in these patients. A large body of evidence has demonstrated the efficacy of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 LCPUFA) in NAFLD conditions, due to their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and anti-viral properties. Therefore, intervention with ω-3 LCPUFA, an effective pharmaconutrient along with the standard treatment for COVID-19 may be useful in the management of the NAFLD spectrum in COVID-19 patients with pre-existing NAFLD conditions by resolving the inflammatory cytokine storm and thereby attenuating its progression. Although there are challenges in implementation, optimistically they can be circumvented and the pharmaconutrition strategy may be potentially helpful in tackling both the pandemics; NAFLD and COVID-19 at least in this subset of patients.

Keywords: Lipids; Virus; Inflammation; Infection; Fish oil; Supplementation

Core Tip: Inflammatory cytokine storm seems to pose a risk for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as these patients have shown severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared to those without NAFLD, while, liver injury has been reported to be high among COVID-19 patients. Thus, this bi-directional relationship between NAFLD and COVID-19 may worsen both conditions at least in this subset of patients. Therefore, resolving the inflammatory cytokine storm is an important target, not only in the management of NAFLD but also for COVID-19. In this context, we highlight the pharmacological potential of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in the clinical nutrition therapy strategy to resolve inflammatory cytokine storm and its associated tissue injury.