An enzyme inducer is a type of
drug
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhala ...
that increases the
metabolic
Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...
activity of an enzyme either by
binding to the
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...
and activating it, or by increasing the expression of the gene coding for the enzyme.
It is the opposite of an
enzyme repressor An enzyme repressor is a substance that negatively regulates the amount of an enzyme by decreasing the rate of its biosynthesis. It is the opposite of an enzyme inducer.
See also
* Enzyme activator
* Enzyme inhibitor
* Regulation of gene expressi ...
.
See also
*
Enzyme activator
Enzyme activators are molecules that bind to enzymes and increase their activity. They are the opposite of enzyme inhibitors. These molecules are often involved in the allosteric regulation of enzymes in the control of metabolism. An example of a ...
*
Enzyme inhibitor
An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that binds to an enzyme and blocks its activity. Enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions necessary for life, in which substrate molecules are converted into products. An enzyme facilitates a ...
*
Regulation of gene expression
Regulation of gene expression, or gene regulation, includes a wide range of mechanisms that are used by cells to increase or decrease the production of specific gene products (protein or RNA). Sophisticated programs of gene expression are w ...
References
External links
Hepatic enzyme inducersHepatic enzyme inhibitors
Medicinal chemistry
Enzymes
Metabolism
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