Oral Ursodeoxycholic Acid Therapy Failed to Mitigate SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Infection

Abstract

Background Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) was reported to reduce susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection by downregulating farnesoid X receptor (FXR) -ACE2 signaling. However, we found a different story in real-world clinical studies. Methods We attempted to verify whether UDCA can effectively prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission or have positive therapeutic effects in a real-world clinical study. We performed a retrospective study, collected, and assessed clinical presentation and laboratory data on patients with liver diseases infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variant BA.5.2 who had been treated with or without UDCA, patients treated with UDCA without SARS-CoV-2 infection were set as control group. Results The data showed treatment with UDCA did not prevent infection with the Omicron sub-variant BA.5.2, failed in reducing the duration of infection and hardly mitigated the severity of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the severity of liver diseases, especially TBil, ALP, γ-GT, liver cirrhosis and Child-Pugh classification, should be considered as risk factors for severe COVID-19 in chronic hepatic patients. Conclusion UDCA failed to show inhibitory effects against SARS-CoV-2 infection in complex clinical settings. The regulatory mechanism of the novel UDCA-FXR-ACE2 pathway needs to be further investigated in real-world clinical studies.