Enzyme inhibitors are molecules that bind to enzymes and decrease their activity. Since blocking an enzyme's activity can kill a pathogen or correct a metabolic imbalance, many drugs are enzyme inhibitors. Inhibitor binding is either reversible or irreversible. Irreversible inhibitors usually react with the enzyme and change it chemically. These inhibitors modify key amino acid residues needed for enzymatic activity. In contrast, reversible inhibitors bind non-covalently and different types of inhibition are produced depending on whether these inhibitors bind the enzyme, the enzyme-substrate complex, or both. Their discovery and improvement is an active area of research in biochemistry and pharmacology. A medicinal enzyme inhibitor is often judged by its specificity (its lack of binding to other proteins) and its potency (its dissociation constant, which indicates the concentration needed to inhibit the enzyme). A high specificity and potency ensure that a drug will have few side effects and thus low toxicity. Enzyme inhibitors also occur naturally and are involved in the regulation of metabolism.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1791: The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, collectively known as the United States Bill of Rights, were ratified. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights)
1891: James Naismith introduced the first version of basketball, with thirteen rules and nine players on each team. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Naismith)
1961: Former Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death after being found guilty on fifteen criminal charges, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Eichmann)
1994: The web browser Netscape Navigator 1.0 was first released. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape_Navigator)
1995: The European Court of Justice passes the Bosman ruling, allowing footballers in the European Union to freely transfer from one UEFA Federation to another at the end of their contracts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosman_ruling)
_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:
To talk about the end of science is just as foolish as to talk about the end of religion. Science and religion are both still close to their beginnings, with no ends in sight. -- Freeman Dyson (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Freeman_Dyson)