Final answer:
An example of an enzyme and substrate in the human body is salivary amylase and amylose. Salivary amylase catalyzes the breakdown of starch amylose into simpler sugars. This interaction illustrates the crucial role of enzymes in reducing activation energy and facilitating life-supporting chemical reactions at body temperature.
Step-by-step explanation:
Enzymes are biological catalysts that are crucial for life; they speed up the chemical reactions in our bodies to a rate that supports life functions. An example of an enzyme and its substrate found in the human body is salivary amylase and its substrate amylose. Salivary amylase is produced in the salivary glands and initiates the digestion of starches by breaking down amylose into simpler sugars. When salivary amylase and amylose come together, the enzyme binds to its substrate at the active site, forming an enzyme-substrate complex. This interaction allows salivary amylase to convert amylose into smaller sugar molecules through a process called hydrolysis. This conversion reduces the activation energy needed for the reaction to take place, allowing the digestion of starch to occur quickly and efficiently at body temperature.
Enzymes are not used up in the reactions they catalyze; they go on to facilitate additional reactions. This is essential, as the presence and activity of enzymes enable the biochemical processes necessary for survival, such as energy release and molecule synthesis, to occur at a pace that supports life processes.