text: Enzymes as Drug Targets
  drugs target
  First, let us understand what enzymes are and how they function. Enzymes are biomolecules in the human body and they are are a form of protein. Their essential function is to be biological catalysts for certain reactions occurring in the body. They regulate these chemical reactions, but themselves remain unaffected by them.
  
  The molecules that interact with enzymes are called substrates. The reaction will produce new molecules, known as products. The enzymes hold the substrate firmly in their active site. This allows the reagent to react with the substrate successfully. The enzymes hols the substrate in the active site by a variety of interactions such as hydrogen bonding, ionic bonding, van der Waal force etc.
  
  The other function of the enzyme is to provide functional groups that will react with the substrates to carry out the necessary chemical reactions that support all our life processes.
  
  Drug-Enzyme Interaction
  At certain times the actions of enzymes need to be controlled and we do this with the help of drugs known as enzyme inhibitors. Here the enzyme will be the drug target, i.e. the drug will try to impede with the functioning of the enzyme. This can be done in one of two ways,
  
  Some drugs will rival the substrate by attaching themselves to the active site of the enzyme. They are known as competitive inhibitors. This will not allow the substrate to attach itself to the enzyme, and so the reaction will not occur. But if the concentration of the substrate is far great