Enzymes

An enzyme is a bodily substance that acts as a catalyst and helps in regulating the rate of chemical reactions without altering the process. It is the biological process that happens in all living organisms; without enzymes, many of the responses would not be regulated at a noticeable rate. Enzymes involved in all facets of cell metabolism including food digestion process, breakdown of nutrient molecules into proteins, fats and carbohydrates, conservation and transportation of chemical energy and construction of cellular molecules. One such example is pepsin. It is an enzyme secreted in the stomach as gastric juice which helps in digesting proteins such as egg, meat and dairy substances. Enzyme mechanisms are the transformation of chemical substances generated by enzymatic action. The mechanism is similar to the principle of other chemical catalysis involving a combination of many different types of reactions. The determination of enzyme mechanism can be done through thermodynamic and kinetic properties. Enzymes have valuable medicinal and industrial applications including fermenting wine, curdling cheese, brewing beer and leavening bread, etc. The enzymes in medicine are used for killing disease-causing microorganisms, wound healing, and diagnosing specific diseases.