enzime

Enzime, often referred to as enzymes in English, are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in living organisms. Most enzime are proteins, though a class of RNA molecules called ribozymes also have catalytic properties. Enzime work by lowering the activation energy of a reaction, enabling it to proceed more rapidly than it would without a catalyst. This effect typically occurs at the enzime’s active site, a specific region where substrates bind and are converted into products. Enzime are generally highly specific for their substrates, and many act on a single substrate or a related group of substrates.

To function, enzime often require non-protein helpers called cofactors. When the protein portion, the apoenzyme, combines with a cofactor or coenzyme, the active holoenzyme is formed. Coenzymes include small organic molecules such as NAD+, FAD, or coenzyme A. The activity of enzime is influenced by temperature, pH, and ionic conditions, and each enzime has an optimum range for these factors. Deviations can reduce activity or cause denaturation. Enzime activity can be regulated by inhibitors or activators, and some enzime are allosterically regulated, meaning binding at one site affects activity at another.

Enzime are central to metabolism, digestion, DNA replication, and many other biological processes. They are commonly classified into six main classes: oxidoreductases, transferases, hydrolases, lyases, isomerases, and ligases, with numerous examples such as amylase, lactase, proteases, lipases, and DNA polymerase. Enzime also have wide applications in industry and medicine as biocatalysts, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic agents.