What role do enzymes play in biological processes?

Enzymes are biological molecules, primarily proteins, that act as catalysts in various biochemical reactions within living organisms. Their primary role is to increase the rate of chemical reactions without being consumed in the process. This ability to speed up reactions is essential because many necessary biochemical reactions would occur too slowly at the temperatures present in living organisms if catalysis did not take place.

By lowering the activation energy — the energy required for a reaction to proceed — enzymes allow reactions to happen more easily and efficiently, facilitating vital processes such as digestion, metabolism, and DNA replication. Each enzyme is specific to its substrate, meaning that it will only catalyze specific reactions, which contributes to the precise regulation of metabolic pathways. This specificity is crucial for maintaining the proper functioning of biological systems, as it ensures that the correct biochemical processes occur at the right time and place within the cell.

While enzymes do not serve as protective barriers, store energy, or transport molecules across membranes, their catalytic role is fundamental in sustaining life, as all biological processes rely on countless enzymatic reactions to proceed optimally.