Enzymes in medicine

Klein, M. D., Langer, R. (1986). Immobilized enzymes in medicine an emerging approach to new drug therapies. TIBTECH 4 179-85. 

Hasselberger provided many more examples of the uses of enzymes, including a chapter titled Enzymes in Medicine, in which it is advanced that enzymes may coimteract viruses. 

These chemical effects become important in medicine because living systems operate mostly through the reactions of enzymes, which catalyze all sorts of metabolic reactions but are very sensitive to small changes in their environment. Such sensitivity can lead to preferential absorption of some deleterious isotopes in place of the more normal, beneficial ones. One example in metabolic systems can be found in the incorporation of a radioactive strontium isotope in place of calcium. 

Many enzymes have been the subject of protein engineering studies, including several that are important in medicine and industry, eg, lysozyme, trypsin, and cytochrome P450. SubtiHsin, a bacterial serine protease used in detergents, foods, and the manufacture of leather goods, has been particularly well studied (68). This emphasis is in part owing to the wealth of stmctural and mechanistic information that is available for this enzyme. 

The carbamate and OP insecticides and the organophosphorous nerve gases soman, sarin, and tabun all act as anticholinesterases, and most of their toxicity is attributed to this property. The naturally occurring carbamate physostigmine, which has been used in medicine, is also an anticholinesterase. Some OP compounds can cause relatively long-lasting inhibition of the enzyme because of the phenomenon of... 

Nabors CJ, Berliner DL, Stevens W. 1967. Preliminary comparison of the effects of241 Am and 239Pu on serum enzymes. In Research in radiobiology Annual report of work in progress in the Internal Irradiation Program. Utah Radiobiology Division of the Department of Anatomy, University of Utah College of Medicine, 97-127. Contract No. AT(11-1)-119. 

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