enzyme

Each enzyme has an ideal temperature and pH: pH: Enzymes are sensitive to acidity and alkalinity. They don’t work properly if an environment is too acidic or basic. For example, an enzyme in the stomach called pepsin breaks down proteins. If your stomach doesn’t have enough acid, pepsin can’t function optimally. Can medications affect enzyme levels? Some medications affect enzyme levels. For example, antibiotics can kill certain bacteria needed for some enzymes to work their best. This is the reason antibiotics may cause diarrhea. To kill the bacteria making you sick, they also wipe out important good bacteria that aid in digestion. Statins (medications that lower cholesterol) can raise liver enzymes and muscle enzymes. They may increase the risk of damage to the liver or muscles. The majority of enzymes are proteins with catalytic capabilities crucial to perform different processes. Metabolic processes and other chemical reactions in the cell are carried out by a set of enzymes that are necessary to sustain life. The initial stage of metabolic process depends upon the enzymes, which react with a molecule and is called the substrate. Enzymes convert the substrates into other distinct molecules, which are known as products. The macromolecular components of all enzymes consist of protein, except in the class of RNA catalysts called ribozymes. The word ribozyme is derived from the ribonucleic acid enzyme. Many ribozymes are molecules of ribonucleic acid, which catalyze reactions in one of their own bonds or among other RNAs. Enzymes are found in all tissues and fluids of the body. Catalysis of all reactions taking place in metabolic pathways is carried out by intracellular enzymes. The enzymes in the plasma membrane govern the catalysis in the cells as a response to cellular signals and enzymes in the circulatory system regulate the clotting of blood. Most of the critical life processes are established on the functions of enzymes. A cell contains thousands of different types of enzyme molecules, each specific to a particular chemical reaction. There are many enzymes which require cofactors for their catalytic activity. The cofactor may be a complex organic molecule called coenzyme

there are billions of chemical reactions happening inside your body. Although they happen at lightning speed inside cells, when these reactions are run inside test-tubes --- in a lab instead of a body --- they happen at a snail’s pace. What explains this difference in speed? What do our cells have, that a test-tube lacks? The answer is: enzymes!
 

Some enzymes, called apoenzymes, are inactive until they are bound to a cofactor, which activates the enzyme. A cofactor can be either metal ions (e.g., Zn)