Enzyme Inhibitors Flashcards
How can enzymes be activated?
By cofactors
How can enzymes be deactivated?
By inhibitors
What is an inhibitor?
Any molecule that reduces or stops a reaction
What happens if you add a small concentration of an inhibitor?
It will reduce the rate of reaction
What happens if you add a small concentration of an inhibitor?
The reaction may be prevented completely
What are the 2 types of inhibitors?
Competitive inhibitors
Non-competitive inhibitors
Competitive inhibitors
Where do competitive inhibitors fit into instead of the substrate?
The active site of an enzyme
Competitive inhibitors
What do competitive inhibitors form?
A physical barrier
Competitive inhibitors
What does the physical barrier prevent?
The formation of enzyme-substrate-complexes
Competitive inhibitors
Why are competitive inhibitors competitive?
Because both inhibitor and substrate can fit into the active site they compete with each other for the enzyme
Non-competitive inhibitors
What do non-competitive inhibitors bind to?
A separate part on an enzyme called its albsteric site
Non-competitive inhibitors
What does binding of a non-competitive inhibitor cause?
A conformational change in the enzyme
Non-competitive inhibitors
What does the conformational change alter?
Alters the shape of the enzymes active site so that it is not complementary with its substrate
Non-competitive inhibitors
Why are non-competitive inhibitors non-competitive?
Because these inhibitors don’t bind to the active site they don’t compete with substrates
Which has a more powerful inhibition effect?
Competitive or non-competitive inhibitors
Non-competitive inhibitors
