Final answer:
Enzymes are proteins that act as biological catalysts, speeding up chemical reactions in living organisms by lowering the activation energy required. They are essential for life, as they are involved in nearly all bodily functions from digestion to energy metabolism.
Step-by-step explanation:
An enzyme is a type of protein that serves as a biological catalyst. This means that enzymes speed up biochemical reactions in living organisms without being consumed in the process. Activation energy is the energy required to initiate a chemical reaction, and enzymes work by reducing this energy threshold, making it easier for the reaction to occur. They have a specific active site where substrates—the molecules enzymes act upon—bind to form an enzyme-substrate complex. Enzymes are highly specific and are often named for their substrate or the reaction they catalyze, typically ending in '-ase.'
Enzymes play a crucial role in numerous bodily functions, including the digestion of food and the metabolic conversion of nutrients into energy. For instance, the enzyme salivary amylase begins the digestion of starch into simple sugars in the mouth. Without enzymes, reactions in the body would occur too slowly to sustain life, as seen in certain genetic disorders like Sanfilippo Syndrome type B, where a missing enzyme leads to severe symptoms due to the accumulation of unprocessed carbohydrates.
Furthermore, enzymes have various applications in industries such as food, dairy, biofuel, and paper industries, showcasing their importance beyond the biological context.