Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity
Velocity or rate of enzymatic reaction is assessed by the rate of change inconcentration of substrate or product at a given time duration. Various factorswhich affect the activity of enzymes include:
1. Substrate concentration
2. Enzyme concentration
3. Product concentration
4. Temperature
5. Hydrogen ion concentration (pH)
6. Presence of activators
7. Presence of inhibitor
Effect of substrate Concentration
Reaction velocity of an enzymatic process increases with constant enzyme concentration and increase in substrate concentration. The velocity (V) is expressed in micromoles of substrate converted per minute. As the concentration of substrate increases, the velocity of the reaction increases. Continued increase in substrate concentration may lead to a reduction in rate of the reaction and leads to flattened curve. The maximum velocity obtained from a enzymatic reaction is called as Vmax. Vmax represents the maximum reaction rate possible in the presence of excess substrate.
