L/O:

To understand what a digestive enzyme is, how it

works and how they assist with the uptake of the
essential nutrients.

Starch molecules
large and branched
Amylase digestive
enzyme

Still too big!

Breaks down starch to

Maltose

Maltase in the small

intestine breaks down
maltose to glucose
units

Readily absorbed.

Proteins large and branched

Breaks down proteins into

peptides.

Peptidase from the small

intestine

Trypsin from the pancreas

Still too big!

Fats &
Oils

Fatty acids and

glycerol which is
easily absorbed.

Bile from the liver mixes

with the fat to make an
emulsion

Lipase from the

pancreas breaks
down the fats to...

What are enzymes made of?

Enzymes are protein molecules, and so are made up of amino acids. Most
enzymes contain between 100 and 1,000 amino acids.
These amino acids are joined together in a long chain, which is folded to
produce a unique 3D structure.

Why
is
shape
important?
The shape of an enzyme is very important because it has a direct effect on
how it catalyzes a reaction.
Why do enzymes have different shapes?
An enzymes shape is determined by the
sequence of amino acids in its structure,
and the bonds which form between the
atoms of those molecules.

Different types of enzymes have different shapes and functions because

the order and type of amino acids in their structure is different.

Why
are
enzymes
so
specific?
Enzymes are very specific about which reactions they catalyze. Only
molecules with exactly the right shape will bind to the enzyme and react.
These are the reactant, or substrate, molecules.

The part of the enzyme to which the

reactant binds is called the active site.

This is a very specific shape and the

most important part of the enzyme.

Enzymes: true or false?

What happens at the active

site?

In the same way that a key fits into a lock, so a substrate is thought to fit into
an enzymes active site. The enzyme is the lock, and the reactant is the key.

enzyme
+
reactant

enzyme-reactant
complex

enzyme
+
products

The lock and key model

Digestion in the stomach

When food enters the stomach it stimulates the secretion of hydrochloric
acid (HCl) from the stomach wall. HCl increases the acidity of the stomach
to about pH2 the optimum pH for stomach enzymes.
oesophagus
mucus cells

gastric gland

parietal cells
(acid-producing)

duodenum

Digestion in the small intestine

Digestive enzymes found in the small intestine are damaged by a strongly acidic
pH.
How does the body avoid this problem?
The liver produces bile (an alkali), which is stored in the gall bladder and
released into the small intestine.
hepatic
duct

Bile neutralizes the acidic

contents coming from the
stomach, creating the alkaline
gall
environment that the intestinal
bladder
enzymes need to work.

pancreas

duodenum

bile duct

Factors affecting enzymes

The rate of enzymecatalyzed reactions depends on several factors. What are
some of these?
Factors that affect the rate of a reaction include:
temperature

substrate concentration

pH

surface area

enzyme concentration

pressure.

All enzymes work best at only one particular temperature and pH: this is
called the optimum.

Different enzymes have different optimum temperatures and pH values.