ethanol

Overview

Ethanol is a small, volatile, water-miscible alcohol with broad relevance in chemistry, biology, medicine, and public health. In biomedical contexts, it is best known as the principal intoxicating component of alcoholic beverages and as a widely used laboratory solvent, preservative, and extraction medium. Because of its physicochemical properties, ethanol can interact with biological membranes, alter protein and lipid environments, and serve as a carrier or processing aid in pharmaceutical and food-related applications.

From a medical perspective, ethanol is important both as a modifiable exposure and as an experimental reagent. Alcohol consumption is a major preventable risk factor in cancer prevention research, liver disease, and behavioral health, while controlled ethanol exposure is also used in mechanistic studies of metabolism, sensory-motor function, and fermentation. Recent publications also highlight ethanol’s role as an extraction solvent for bioactive compounds, including Phenolic Acids, flavonoids, and astaxanthin, and as a component in analytical and formulation studies.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent investigations have examined ethanol as an active therapeutic agent in minimally invasive vascular interventions. Ethanol-based injectable gel formulations, incorporating ethyl cellulose polymers, have emerged as sclerosing agents for treating vascular malformations including arteriovenous malformations, venous malformations, and lymphatic malformations. Researchers have characterized the production process, stability, and intravascular behavior of these formulations through injection models that simulate flow conditions both in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating effective vessel sclerosis with limited adverse effects. This work has clarified the physical properties and therapeutic mechanism of ethanol-based polymer gels, advancing injectable options for patients with these abnormal vessel conditions who have limited current treatment alternatives.

In pharmaceutical chemistry, ethanol functions as a co-solvent component in metered-dose inhaler (MDI) formulations. Recent studies have applied secondary electrospray ionization mass spectrometry coupled with high-resolution detection (SESI-HRMS) to characterize multi-component aerosol formulations containing ethanol alongside active pharmaceutical ingredients and other excipients. This methodology enabled real-time, unambiguous identification of all major components in complex MDI formulations, including ethanol, confirming the comprehensive analysis capability of SESI-HRMS for quality control and formulation verification of inhaled medications.

Ethanol has also been investigated as an experimental agent in neurotoxicology, particularly regarding its effects on sensorimotor and behavioral phenotypes. Studies in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans examined the consequences of 24-hour ethanol exposure, subsequent withdrawal, and withdrawal relief on motor performance and behavior. These investigations identified specific genes in dopaminergic and serotonergic signaling pathways—including dop-3 and tph-1—as contributors to ethanol's physiological effects, linking molecular mechanisms to observable behavioral changes and providing insights into the neurobiological basis of alcohol's effects on nervous system function.

Key Publications

NEWJul Real-time metered dose inhalers (MDIs) characterization by secondary electrospray ionization (SESI)-mass spectrometry: a proof-of-principle study. (Analytical methods : advancing methods and applications, 2026, PMID 42319168): "The analysis includes one of the most widely used inhalers worldwide, Ventolin®, a simple formulation containing salbutamol and norflurane for which salbutamol was reliably detected, while norflurane remained undetectable due to its low proton affinity; and Ventoduo®, a multicomponent formulation also including beclomethasone dipropionate, ethanol, and oleic acid for which all major components were successfully detected."
NEWJun Biomedical publication details. (PubMed Database, 2026, PMID 42308334)
Jun Global Cancer Prevention: Current Approaches and Future Directions. (American Society of Clinical Oncology educational book. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Annual Meeting, 2026, PMID 42190157): "A large fraction of this burden is preventable through interventions directed at established modifiable risk factors, including tobacco, excess body weight, alcohol, ultraviolet and occupational exposures, and oncogenic infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus."
May Effect of a Personalized Mobile Health Intervention Using Artificial Intelligence (the WARIFA App) Versus a Nonpersonalized Intervention on User-Defined Objectives, Healthy Lifestyles, and Management of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. (JMIR research protocols, 2026, PMID 42172625): "...common risk factors that can be addressed: physical activity, a healthy diet, and avoiding smoking and alcohol."
Apr Assessment of early return to drinking in surviving patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis. (Alcohol, clinical & experimental research, 2026, PMID 41941058): "Recurrent alcohol use is a major determinant of liver-related outcomes in patients recovering from alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH)."
Apr Specific genes of the dopaminergic (dop-3) and serotonergic (tph-1) pathways contribute to the effects of ethanol consumption in Caenorhabditis elegans. (PloS one, 2026, PMID 41871151): "This study aimed to determine the effects of a 24-hour ethanol exposure, post-exposure withdrawal (cessation of alcohol intake), and post-exposure withdrawal relief on the sensorimotor performance of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans."
May Application of FTIR and PCA-LR metabolites recognition for bergamot essential oil authentication. (Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy, 2026, PMID 41666782): "Synthetic BEOs are often composed of specific alcohols such as ethanol and dipropylene glycol (DPG), which are used to dilute synthetic metabolites like limonene, linalyl acetate, and linalool."