A substance that inhibits the activity of an enzyme. It may do this by binding at the active site of the enzyme in place of the substrate (see competitive inhibition ) or by binding with the enzyme-substrate complex. Alternatively the inhibitor may bind to some part of the enzyme other than the active site and in so doing change the three-dimensional configuration of the enzyme so it is not able to function normally. Certain enzymes containing an —SH group are inhibited by heavy metals in this manner. See also feedback inhibition. |
