The Applications of Enzymes in Medicine

The Applications of Enzymes in Medicine

Enzymes are biological catalysts which speed up chemical reactions by

lowering the activation energy (the minimum amount of energy required

for a reaction to take place). Enzymes are proteins which have a

tertiary structure and they are very specific- only the correct

substrate can combine with the active site of the correct enzyme,

thereby producing an enzyme substrate complex. “They are also highly

specific, which means fewer unwanted side-effects and by-products in

the production process,” (1). Furthermore, enzymes are biodegradable

and the “ability of enzymes to catalyse specific chemical reactions at

body temperature makes them useful tools in the commercial world,”

(7). This is because less energy is required which means they are

relatively cheap.

Enzymes are used in medicine in a variety of ways. I will look at

some of the main ways in which enzymes are used. The process of

genetic engineering involves the use of many enzymes in cutting,

modifying and joining the DNA. Restriction enzymes (restriction

endonucleases) “are enzymes that cut DNA at specific sites,” which

“cut bonds in the middle of the polynucleotide chain,” (2). The DNA

is then modified including “degradation, synthesis, and alteration of

DNA,” (3, pg. 42). DNA ligase is another enzyme used and is the

opposite of endonucleases. Whereas endonucleases are used to cut DNA,

DNA ligase “is used to seal discontinuities in the sugar phosphate

chains…” (3, pg. 44). Endonucleases are also used for genetic

fingerprinting, (4, pg. 77).

Enzymes are also used in analytical tests for example to test for

“glucose, urea, ketones, cholesterol etc. in blood and urine,” (4, pg.

81). Analytic tests are also used by diabetics to measure the amount

of glucose in the blood. The glucose oxidase in the strip of paper

oxidises the glucose present in the blood, which can be measured

according to the colour change which represents the amount of glucose

present, (5). Biosensors are also used “for analysing biologically