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Article: Inhibitors
- Article from:
- Chemistry: Foundations and Applications
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Inhibitors
An inhibitor is any agent that interferes with the activity of an enzyme. Inhibitors may affect the binding of enzyme to substrate, or
catalysis
(via modification of the enzyme's active site), or both. Researchers use enzyme inhibitors to define metabolic pathways and to understand enzyme reaction mechanisms. Many drugs are designed as inhibitors of target enzymes. Inhibition is also a natural phenomenon. Cells regulate metabolic pathways by specific inhibition of key enzymes.
Enzyme inhibitors are divided into two classes, irreversible and reversible. Irreversible inhibition implies destruction or permanent modification of chemical groups in the enzyme. In contrast, ...