The Roles in the Cell and the Reaction Capacities of Amylase Enzyme

Study of Amylase
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date
Study of Amylase
Introduction
Research on the enzyme is a special study that many scientists advocate for. An enzyme is any substance that catalyzes reactions in living organisms (Miao et al., 2018). It promotes the regulation of chemical reactions without altering the body of an organism. Amylase is an enzyme that catalyzes a reaction of starch to sugars. It is majorly located in the saliva of animals or human beings. Amylase is also produced from some plants and bacteria. The reaction of starch to sugar is also noted as hydrolysis. Therefore, amylase promotes hydrolysis. The paper probes amylase, one of the common enzymes studied in chemical and biological reactions, by considering its role and reaction capacities.
Importance
Amylase plays a significant role in breaking complex carbohydrates, polysaccharides, and starch bonds. The enzyme takes this direction to produce simple sugars that the body can easily absorb. During food digestion, amylase is the first enzyme considered to initiate the reaction. Therefore, while eating, it is necessary to properly chew food to increase the surface area for salivary amylase. It is responsible for breaking down the food eaten to liberate different chemical nutrients. Amylase is produced in the mouth, pancreas, and small intestine. Therefore, it is responsible for stimulating chemical reactions during digestion.
Role in the Cell
The role of amylase in the cell is to break consumed food into starch and carbohydrate molecules. Amylase is created in two specific places, and it is generated in the salivary gland and the pancreatic cell (Dhital et al., 2015). The amylase identified in the two areas is necessary and plays a significant role in catalyzing reactions. Therefore, it is justifiable that amylase plays a substantial role in the cell, especially in mammals.
Metabolic Pathway
Metabolic pathways are significant for enzymes since they consist of chemical reactions within a given cell (Miao et al., 2018). They constitute intermediates, products, and reactants. Therefore, in the chemical reaction, amylase is an intermediate during the reaction. The reactants are the starch and other components such as polysaccharides, while the products are simple. Therefore, the identified path is one way.
Chemical Reaction
The primary chemical reaction that happens in amylase as the catalyst is hydrolysis. It involves breaking the substrate molecule by adding a water component, as shown in figure 1. The resultant elements include glucose molecules. The amylase is responsible for speeding up the reaction. Therefore, the chemical reaction cannot occur without amylase.
Figure 1: Amylase chemical reaction
Source (Miao et al., 2018).
Comparison
The type of reaction that amylase catalyzes is an enzymatic reaction. The enzymatic reaction is a type of chemical reaction that relies on enzymes for catalysis. On the other hand, non-enzymatic reactions do not require enzymes (Suckling, 2012). Therefore, enzymatic reactions take minimum time and produce more energy than non-enzymatic. Lastly, cofactors can be divided into coenzymes and inorganic ions, while the factors are specific for inorganic ions.
Methods
How th...