Enzymes are biological catalysts that are critical to the biochemistry underlying life. While most enzymes are protein molecules, segments of RNA are also known to behave as enzymes. Artificial sequences of DNA have also been shown to serve as enzymes, but it is not clear that natural DNA performs this function. Generally, enzymes are large molecules, often with molecular weights in the millions. Some enzymes contain reactive centers, often with one or more metal atoms that act as traditional catalysts to create a new, lower energy reaction pathway for a reaction. In other cases, the enzyme molecule creates a molecular template that holds complex biomolecules in the correct orientation for reaction. Enzymes bind substrate biomolecules with great specificity. Enzymes use energy released when substrates bind to make their catalysis more effective.
Before moving on, you may want to review your enzyme nomenclature.
Enzymes are often composed of only protein. In this case only AA side chains are used for catalysis. Some enzymes require additives for assisting with catalysis. Additives like coenzymes often provide functional groups not available to the enzyme among the side chains of the amino acids. In this project, we will consider coenzymes also known as vitamins. Vitamins are required as coenzymes to work with enzymes in every chemical reaction in every cell of the body. Like regular enzymes, they are not changed or used up by the reaction. Coenzymes serve an important role in humans as vitamins that we are unable to synthesize ourselves.
To see a site that summarizes coenzyme sources, functions, and diseases associated with deficiencies, go to The Big Bang page.
Many alternative health food stores are marketing enzymes as a replacement of or an alternative to cancer therapy. One theory is that enzymes function in purification of blood, and in clean, well-circulated blood, cancerous cells will be spotted by the immune system quicker.
A second marketing idea is that when we cook our foods, we destroy (with heat) many enzymes we normally ingest, and thus create an enzyme imbalance. One food available on line is Big Bang cereal (see link above), which promises to supply "a veritable explosion of vitamins and enzymes whose nutritional qualities are quite extraordinary."
One specific coenzyme that is getting a lot of research attention is Q10. Recent medical studies have reported that pretreatment with Coenzyme Q10 minimizes the myocardial injury caused by heart bypass surgery and improves heart function compared to patients not pretreated with Coenzyme Q10. This enzyme has also been reported to increase rates of tumor regression in breast cancer patients. For more on Q10, go to see Asha Pharma.
To see, go to our new page: Putting it All Together.
Project Links
Coenzymes as Vitamins
Rod's Page - Riboflavin
Stan's Page - Thiamine
Leah's Page - Niacin
Putting it all together...
