Uses of Enzymes in Medicine and Industry
Enzymes are used widely across medicine and industry. Through this
essay I will go through some examples of each case, and explain the
complexities of these examples.
Enzymes are biological catalysts that enable specific reactions to
take place. Catalysts are widely used in industry, to increase the
rate of a reaction, or allow the reaction to take place without
resorting to high temperatures and pressures.
One of the
most important and widely used enzymes in industry and everyday life
is the catalytic converter in cars. They are devices incorporated into
the exhaust system of cars which use catalysts to convert pollutant
gases into harmless products.
Another
example of enzymes used in industry is the major role in the brewing
industry. The yeast converts sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
However, these sugars are stored as starch in plants, consequently
this meant the process of malting had to be undertaken. This process
was relatively expensive and hard to control, therefore industrial
enzymes such as amylases, glucanases and proteases were added to
catalyse the malting process and make it easier to control. Therefore
producing the required sugars for the yeast to react on. In addition
enzymes aid the filtration process, because of the polysaccharides,
xylans and glucans present in the final beer. This often results in
Enzymes are biology catalysts which speed up the rate of a reaction (BBC News). Catalase is an enzyme which is found in one’s body and can destroy any harmful substances. Without catalase, many toxic materials could attack and mutate DNA. Catalase is located in the hepatic and when mixed with hydrogen peroxide, it breaks it down into oxygen and water. When the reaction happens it follows this equation: 2H2O2 → 2H2O + O2 ("Catalase.").
Enzymes are biological catalysts, which are proteins that help speed up chemical reactions. Enzymes use reactants, known as the substrates, and are converted into products. Through this chemical reaction, the enzyme itself is not consumed and can be used over and over again for future chemical reactions, but with the same substrate and product formed. Enzymes usually only convert specific substrates into products. Substrates bind to the region of an enzyme called the active site to form the enzyme/substrate complex. Then this becomes the enzyme/products complex, and then the products leave the enzyme. The activity of enzymes can be altered based on a couple of factors. Factors include pH, temperature and others. These factors, if they become
Abstract: Enzymes are catalysts therefore we can state that they work to start a reaction or speed it up. The chemical transformed due to the enzyme (catalase) is known as the substrate. In this lab the chemical used was hydrogen peroxide because it can be broken down by catalase. The substrate in this lab would be hydrogen peroxide and the enzymes used will be catalase which is found in both potatoes and liver. This substrate will fill the active sites on the enzyme and the reaction will vary based on the concentration of both and the different factors in the experiment. Students placed either liver or potatoes in test tubes with the substrate and observed them at different temperatures as well as with different concentrations of the substrate. Upon reviewing observations, it can be concluded that liver contains the greater amount of catalase as its rates of reaction were greater than that of the potato.
An enzyme is a protein that is produced by a living organism that acts as a catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. Enzymes have an area with a specific shape, called the active site of the enzyme. The molecule on which the enzyme acts is called a substrate. After the reaction has taken place and the products of the reaction leave the active site, leaving the enzyme ready for another reaction . The active site of an enzyme has such a particular shape that only one kind of molecule will fit it. This is why enzymes are specific to their substrate. The digestive enzymes break down food into small particles that get absorbed by the digestive system. These are the compounds that are used for fuel, repair and growth.
Enzymes, are macromolecules which serve as catalysts. Catalysts are a chemical that can increase the rate of a chemical reaction or slow it down, without being changed by the reaction itself. The enzyme as a catalyst promotes the activity of the reactant which subsequently produces the product.
Enzymes are proteins that are used to accelerate bio chemical reactions. Enzymes can only react with what is called a substrate. This is because the enzyme has a specific working property, such as having a distinct shape that only allows a perfect fit of a substrate. This substrate locks itself to the enzyme and produces a product.
Enzymes are biological catalysts, chemical reactions. Enzyme may act are called substrates and molecules called enzyme converts these into different products. Enzyme are used commercially, for example, synthesis of antibiotics. The study of enzyme is called enzymology.
According to Elmhurst, an enzyme is a protein molecule that is a biological catalyst with three characteristics. First, the basic function of an enzyme is to increase the rate of a reaction. Second, most enzymes act specifically with only one reactant called a substrate to produce products. The third and most remarkable characteristic is that enzymes are regulated from a state of low activity to high activity and vice versa (Elmhurst). According to Princeton, catalase is a common enzyme found in nearly all living organisms that are exposed to oxygen, where it functions to catalyze the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen. Catalase has one of the highest turnover
Our bodies involve and require many different biochemical reactions, which is achieved through the help of enzymes. Enzymes are proteins in our bodies that act as catalyst as they speed up vital biochemical reactions by reducing the “activation energy” needed to get the reaction going. To sustain the biochemistry of life, enzymes maintain temperature inside our living cells balanced and the concentration of reaction molecules. Enzymes are extremely efficient because they remain remarkably unchanged, therefore have the potential to be used over and over again. They are extremely specific with the reactions they catalyze, like a lock and key and, extremely reactive. The molecule to which enzymes make accelerated changes to is the substrate. The molecule that is present after the enzyme-catalyzed reaction is the product. Most enzymes require specific environmental conditions such as temperature and pH levels to be met in order for them to function properly and efficiently. In the first part of the lab we specifically examined a simple enzyme-catalyzed reaction using catechol (the substrate) which will be catalyzed by the enzyme catecholase and will then result in color change. This familiar color
Enzymes are types of proteins that work as a substance to help speed up a chemical reaction (Madar & Windelspecht, 104). There are three factors that help enzyme activity increase in speed. The three factors that speed up the activity of enzymes are concentration, an increase in temperature, and a preferred pH environment. Whether or not the reaction continues to move forward is not up to the enzyme, instead the reaction is dependent on a reaction’s free energy. These enzymatic reactions have reactants referred to as substrates. Enzymes do much more than create substrates; enzymes actually work with the substrate in a reaction (Madar &Windelspecht, 106). For reactions in a cell it is important that a specific enzyme is present during the process. For example, lactase must be able to collaborate with lactose in order to break it down (Madar & Windelspecht, 105).
Enzymes in general are very interesting to learn from and are fundamental in carrying out processes in various organisms. Enzymes are proteins that control the speed of reactions, they help quicken the rate of the reaction and also help cells to communicate with each other. There are 3 main groups of enzymes, first are the metabolic enzymes that control breathing, thinking, talking, moving, and immunity. Next are the digestive enzymes that digest food and normally end with –ase, there are 22 known digestive enzymes and examples of these are Amylase, Protease, and Lipase. The final group are the Food or plant enzymes which is what my enzyme that I’m studying falls under. Papain gets its name because it comes from papaya fruit, its main purpose is to break down proteins and break peptide bonds however it is not only used in the Papaya fruit and has many external uses. It was also very helpful in the 1950s when scientists were trying to understand enzymes. It also helps us to this day understand Protein structural studies and peptide mapping. Without enzymes, reactions in the body would not happen fast enough and would tarnish our way of life which is why it is vital that we study and learn from them.
All the systems in the human body work together to maintain homeostasis and normal body function. The five major systems are the digestive, circulatory, respiratory, transportation and excretory systems. These systems are then, in turn made of organs, tissue and cells. All the systems are interrelated therefore if one system fails then it impacts the others.
Enzymes are proteins or RNA, ribonucleic acid. An enzyme speeds up a chemical reaction. Since the enzyme is not changed by speeding up a chemical reaction, the enzyme can speed up reactions again and again. In a process called catalysis, an enzyme takes what would have been a relatively slow reaction, and makes it faster than the reaction would have been without the enzyme. Enzymes also take the activation energy, which is the energy needed to start reactions, and shortens it. With the decrease in the amount of activation energy needed, reactions could occur more often, and less energy would be needed to begin each reaction. When an enzyme takes a substrate, which is a specific reactant, it changes the substrate in a specific way (Unity and Diversity 82). The active site on the enzyme is a specific shape, so the enzyme can only change certain substrates, the ones that fit into the enzyme’s activation site like a piece in a puzzle.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Enzymes in Medicine and Industry What is an enzyme? = == ==
Enzymes are protein molecules that are made by organisms to catalyze reactions. Typically, enzymes speeds up the rate of the reaction within cells. Enzymes are primarily important to living organisms because it helps with metabolism and the digestive system. For example, enzymes can break larger molecules into smaller molecules to help the body absorb the smaller pieces faster. In addition, some enzyme molecules bind molecules together. However, the initial purpose of the enzyme is to speed up reactions for a certain reason because they are “highly selective catalysts” (Castro J. 2014). In other words, an enzyme is a catalyst, which is a substance that increases the rate of a reaction without undergoing changes. Moreover, enzymes work with