Compendium of the most significant studies with reference to properties, intake, effects.

Medical

Tuháčková M, Urbanová J, Brunerová L, Piťhová P, Kvapil M, Brož J. Ethanol and risk of hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a brief overview for clinical practice. Vnitr Lek. 2019 Spring;65(4):303.

Abstract. Alcoholic drinks are one of the risk factors for hypoglycemia. Ethanol inhibits gluconeogenesis, decreases a level of growth hormone and impairs hypoglycemia awareness. The risk of hypoglycemia while drinking alcohol can be reduced by parallel ingestion of food (saccharides). Some recommendations also mention the change of insulin doses.

Krishnamoorthy G, Kaiser P, Lozza L, Hahnke K, Mollenkopf HJ, Kaufmann SHE. Mycofactocin Is Associated with Ethanol Metabolism in Mycobacteria. mBio. 2019 May 21;10(3):e00190-19. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00190-19. 

Abstract. Mycofactocin (MFT) belongs to the class of ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides conserved in many Actinobacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis assimilates cholesterol during chronic infection, and its in vitro growth in the presence of cholesterol requires most of the MFT biosynthesis genes (mftA, mftB, mftC, mftD, mftE, and mftF), although the reasons for this requirement remain unclear. To identify the function of MFT, we characterized MFT biosynthesis mutants constructed in Mycobacterium smegmatis, M. marinum, and M. tuberculosis We found that the growth deficit of mft deletion mutants in medium containing cholesterol-a phenotypic basis for gene essentiality prediction-depends on ethanol, a solvent used to solubilize cholesterol.

Cox S, Noronha L, Herald T, Bean S, Lee SH, Perumal R, Wang W, Smolensky D. Evaluation of ethanol-based extraction conditions of sorghum bran bioactive compounds with downstream anti-proliferative properties in human cancer cells. Heliyon. 2019 May 7;5(5):e01589. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01589.

Abstract. Certain foods such as turmeric and green tea have been extensively studied for anticancer properties, while high polyphenol sorghum has not received the same attention. Some bioactive compounds in Sorghum bicolor with anticancer activity have been identified, indicating the further need for research and screening methods of high polyphenol sorghum varieties. This study was aimed at improving the extraction of sorghum bioactive compounds by using food-grade solvents using ethanol and citric acid.

Shan L, Galaj E, Ma YY. Nucleus accumbens shell small conductance potassium channels underlie adolescent ethanol exposure-induced anxiety. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019 Oct;44(11):1886-1895. doi: 10.1038/s41386-019-0415-7.

Abstract. Alcohol use typically begins in adolescence, increasing the likelihood of adult mental disorders such as anxiety. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the consequences of adolescent alcohol exposure as well as the behavioral consequences remain poorly understood. We examined the effects of adolescent or adult chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure on intrinsic excitability of striatal medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs) and anxiety levels.

Tschumi CW, Daszkowski AW, Sharpe AL, Trzeciak M, Beckstead MJ. A history of ethanol drinking increases locomotor stimulation and blunts enhancement of dendritic dopamine transmission by methamphetamine. Addict Biol. 2020 Jul;25(4):e12763. doi: 10.1111/adb.12763.

Abstract. Ethanol and psychostimulant use disorders exhibit comorbidity in humans and cross-sensitization in animal models, but the neurobiological underpinnings of this are not well understood...

Li X, Su L, Yang X, Han Y, Wang D, Zheng L, Wang Z, Fan X. Embolotherapy for High-Flow Arteriovenous Malformations in the Hands Using Absolute Ethanol with Coil-Assisted Dominant Outflow Vein Occlusion. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2019 Jun;30(6):813-821. doi: 10.1016/j.jvir.2019.02.015.

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the management, outcomes, and technical and clinical safety of coil-assisted dominant outflow vein (DOV) occlusion for the ethanol embolization of high-flow arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in the hands.

Zhang Y, Zhao H, Wang X, Xiao H, Guan Y. Effects of Cremophor EL/ethanol/oleinic acid/water microemulsion on human blood components and coagulation function. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2019 Aug 1;180:254-262. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.04.058. 

Abstract. Microemulsions have attracted great interest in the biomedical field involving drug delivery, skin treatment and immune-adjuvant. In any case, microemulsions administered in vivo will more or less contact blood tissue inevitably, however there is no specialized investigation on the interaction between microemulsions and human blood components at cellular and membrane levels. Herein we investigate the effect of a typical microemulsion formulation (Cremophor EL/ethanol/oleinic acid/water (CEOW-ME)) with different extent dilution on human blood components (red blood cells (RBCs), coagulation factor, plasma albumin) and blood coagulation function.

Rampoldi A, Singh M, Wu Q, Duan M, Jha R, Maxwell JT, Bradner JM, Zhang X, Saraf A, Miller GW, Gibson G, Brown LA, Xu C. Cardiac Toxicity From Ethanol Exposure in Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes. Toxicol Sci. 2019 May 1;169(1):280-292. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfz038.

Abstract. Alcohol use prior to and during pregnancy remains a significant societal problem and can lead to developmental fetal abnormalities including compromised myocardia function and increased risk for heart disease later in life. Alcohol-induced cardiac toxicity has traditionally been studied in animal-based models. These models have limitations due to physiological differences from human cardiomyocytes (CMs) and are also not suitable for high-throughput screening. We hypothesized that human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CMs (hiPSC-CMs) could serve as a useful tool to study alcohol-induced cardiac defects and/or toxicity. In this study, hiPSC-CMs were treated with ethanol at doses corresponding to the clinically relevant levels of alcohol intoxication. hiPSC-CMs exposed to ethanol showed a dose-dependent increase in cellular damage and decrease in cell viability, corresponding to increased production of reactive oxygen species.

Smiley JF, Bleiwas C, Masiello K, Petkova E, Betz J, Hui M, Wilson DA, Saito M. Effects of neonatal ethanol on cerebral cortex development through adolescence. Brain Struct Funct. 2019 Jun;224(5):1871-1884. doi: 10.1007/s00429-019-01881-1. 

Abstract. Neonatal brain lesions cause deficits in structure and function of the cerebral cortex that sometimes are not fully expressed until adolescence. To better understand the onset and persistence of changes caused by postnatal day 7 (P7) ethanol treatment, we examined neocortical cell numbers, volume, surface area and thickness from neonatal to post-adolescent ages. 

Industry

Richter JB, Eßbach C, Senkovska I, Kaskel S, Brunner E. Quantitative in situ13C NMR studies of the electro-catalytic oxidation of ethanol. Chem Commun (Camb). 2019 May 28;55(43):6042-6045. doi: 10.1039/c9cc02660f.

Abstract. The identification and quantification of reaction intermediates and products in a time-resolved fashion is of great value for the understanding of mechanisms underlying the electro-catalytic oxidation of alcohols. Using a newly developed in situ cell, the identification of different intermediates, products, and side products became possible by monitoring the ethanol electro-oxidation in operando by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy.

Zhao W, Zhao F, Zhang S, Gong Q, Chen G. Ethanol production by simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation of pretreated corn stalk. J Basic Microbiol. 2019 Jul;59(7):744-753. doi: 10.1002/jobm.201900117.

Abstract. The recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass is a major factor limiting its conversion into biofuels. Therefore, in this study, we pretreated corn stalk with 2% Na2 CO3 and 2% H2 O2 for time 70 min at 130°C using a corn stalk to liquid ratio of 1:10. The fermentation broth from multicopy Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains engineered for lignocellulase synthesis was used to enzymatically hydrolyze the pretreated corn stalk...

Zhao G, Liu M, Xia X, Li L, Xu B. Conversion of Furfuryl Alcohol into Ethyl Levulinate over Glucose-Derived Carbon-Based Solid Acid in Ethanol. Molecules. 2019 May 16;24(10):1881. doi: 10.3390/molecules24101881.

Abstract. In this study, a carbon-based solid acid was created through the sulfonation of carbon obtained from the hydrothermal pretreatment of glucose. Additionally, ethyl levulinate, a viable liquid biofuel, was produced from furfuryl alcohol using the environmentally benign and low-cost catalyst in ethanol. Studies for optimizing the reaction conditions, such as reaction time, temperature, and catalyst loading, were performed. Under the optimal conditions, a maximum ethyl levulinate yield of 67.1% was obtained. The recovered catalyst activity (Ethyl levulinate yield 57.3%) remained high after being used four times, and it was easily regenerated with a simple sulfonation process. Moreover, the catalyst was characterized using FT-IR, XRD, SEM, elemental analysis, and acid-base titration techniques.

Lou H, He X, Cai C, Lan T, Pang Y, Zhou H, Qiu X. Enhancement and Mechanism of a Lignin Amphoteric Surfactant on the Production of Cellulosic Ethanol from a High-Solid Corncob Residue. J Agric Food Chem. 2019 Jun 5;67(22):6248-6256. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b01208.

Abstract. A lignin amphoteric surfactant and betaine could enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose and recover cellulase. The effects of lignosulfonate quaternary ammonium salt (SLQA) and dodecyl dimethyl betaine (BS12) on enzymatic hydrolysis digestibility, ethanol yield, yeast cell viability, and other properties of high-solid enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of a corncob residue were studied in this research...

Meng F, Ibbett R, de Vrije T, Metcalf P, Tucker G, McKechnie J. Process simulation and life cycle assessment of converting autoclaved municipal solid waste into butanol and ethanol as transport fuels. Waste Manag. 2019 Apr 15;89:177-189. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.04.003. 

Abstract. In 2015/2016, the total municipal solid waste (MSW) collected by local authority in the U.K. was 26 million tonnes and over 57% is still put into landfill or incinerated. MSW is a promising feedstock for bio-butanol production as it has a high lignocellulosic fibre content such as paper, wood, and food waste, about 50 wt% of a typical MSW stream. The study evaluates acetone, butanol, ethanol and hydrogen production from autoclaved municipal solid waste feedstock.

Fang C, Bi T, Ding Q, Cui Z, Yu N, Xu X, Geng B. High-Density Pd Nanorod Arrays on Au Nanocrystals for High-Performance Ethanol Electrooxidation. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2019 Jun 5;11(22):20117-20124. doi: 10.1021/acsami.9b06182.

Abstract. In the synthesis of Au/Pd bimetallic nanocrystals, a layer-by-layer growth is favored, owing to the low bonding energy between Pd atoms ( EPd-Pd) in comparison with EAu-Pd, resulting in homogeneous core/shell nanostructures. Herein, we demonstrate designed synthetic tactics to unconventional Au/Pd heterostructures through a deposition-dominant growth pathway of the newly reduced Pd atoms, which break the intrinsically favored layer-by-layer growth.