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.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme_inhibitor
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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)
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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)