Ethanol Vapor and Viral Entry: A Biophysical Hypothesis for Enveloped Respiratory Viruses

This project presents a mechanistic hypothesis proposing that low-concentration ethanol vapor may transiently modulate the biophysical properties of viral envelopes at airway gas–liquid interfaces. The framework suggests that brief ethanol–lipid interactions could alter membrane fluidity and spike conformational dynamics, potentially biasing early entry efficiency of enveloped respiratory viruses. This work represents a theoretical and biophysical analysis and does not involve clinical intervention or therapeutic claims. Canonical DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18628695