Introduction:  General Information about Enzymes

Enzymes are substances which make it possible for organisms to carry out the variety of metabolic activities necessary for life. Each of the numerous chemical reactions in a living system is mediated by an enzyme. For example, in the lumen of the mammalian digestive tract, especially the small intestine, large “food” particles are enzymatically broken down into molecules small enough to be absorbed into the blood stream and thus carried to all the cells of the body tissues. Also, within the individual cells, hundreds of different enzymes catalyze the breakdown and syntheses of organic molecules in a continuing process which makes possible cellular maintenance, growth and reproduction.