Enzymes are very important in products developed for the pre-soaking or spot application on to laundry. In these cases stains are loosened by the enzyme action prior to the main wash in a detergent. These products result in cheaper detergents and more energy saved due to lower temperature washing.
Enzymes being used in dishwasher detergents is also becoming popular. Protease and amylase are primarily used to remove the food. These products are more environmentally friendly as they contain less bleaching agents and phosphates. (4)
As well as being used in industry, enzymes are also commonly used in medicine. The most commonly known uses of enzymes in medicine use ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay) and are pregnancy testing kits and blood sugar level testing, mainly used by diabetics. ELISA involves the preparation of an antibody to the substance and the enzyme to which the antibody binds. The presence of a substance can be measured accurately as a result of colour changes that occur following a reaction between the antibody and the enzyme in the presence of the substance.
In the blood sugar level test, the strips of paper contain glucose oxidase. When a drop of blood is added to the strip, the glucose oxidase metabolises the glucose in the blood and a series of reactions produce a measurable colour change that is proportional to the amount of glucose in the blood. The pregnancy test is testing for the hormone HCG which is in the urine of pregnant women. (1)
A possible use of enzymes in medicine in the future may be to help “mend” damaged brain cells and nerves in humans.
Research in Italy in 2002 on rats shows that damaged nerve cells in their brain can grow new connections with the help of an enzyme known as chondroitinase ABC.
Researchers used the enzyme to dissolve a natural glue that had surrounded rat brain cells linked to vision. They found the cells could grow new connections, just as they did when the rat was younger.
A great deal of space in the brain hemisphere is devoted to sight. At a young age, nerve cells in this part of the brain, known as the visual cortex, grow and develop most of their connections with one another during a critical period of weeks to years, depending on the animal. The researchers discovered the critical period ends when sugary proteins fill the space between brain cells. After this, brains display a much less opportunity for growth and repair. For example if you had a stroke and your brain was damaged, this method and enzyme could be used to heal and mend your brain.
The rats in the test had an eye sealed shut, although they had otherwise perfect vision. When the enzyme was put in to the rats visual cortex’s the enzyme digested the sugary proteins and unlocked the nerve cells, allowing them to grow new connections and eventually allow the rats to see again.
Tests are now being done on rats with a condition known as “lazy eye”.
The lead researcher working on the project said, “This is the beginning of a big story, but it’s just the beginning. For medicines similar to this enzyme to reach clinical applications we need to examine the effects on animals closer to humans. It will take some years to do this.”
This research may one day lead to medicines that help people recover from brain and spinal cord damage. (5)
Enzymes are also used in many other ways in industry and in medicine. In industry, enzymes are used in everyday products unknown to most people. They are used in:
- Dairy industry – blue cheeses are ripened by lipases
- Brewing industry – enzymes are used to brew beer
- Baking industry – yeast used in bread making contains enzymes
- Leather industry – trypsin is used to make the leather more pliable
- Chocolate industry – enzymes are used to create soft centres in chocolates
Enzymes also have many more medical uses, which include:
- Drug manufacture
- Anti-flammatory reagents
- Wound therapy
Overall enzymes are very useful and without them many everyday products and items would never exist.
Bibliography
Books
- The Hutchinson dictionary of science second edition (1)
- How is it done? – Readers Digest (2)
- A new introduction to biology - Bill Indge (3) - Martin Rowland
- Margaret Baker
Internet Websites
Newspaper
- United Press International – Science and Technology desk (5)
www.upi.com - archive
Germ Enzyme Can Help Brain Growth – Published 7/11/02