What role do enzymes play in biological reactions?

Enzymes are biological catalysts that increase the rate of chemical reactions within cells without being consumed in the process. They achieve this by lowering the activation energy required for reactions to occur. Activation energy is the minimum energy needed for reactants to successfully collide and react with each other. By lowering this barrier, enzymes allow reactions to proceed more quickly and efficiently, which is vital for maintaining the necessary metabolic processes in living organisms.

In biochemical pathways, enzymes facilitate vital functions such as digestion, metabolism, and DNA replication. The specificity of enzymes for their substrates also means that they promote the formation of the correct products without altering the fundamental outcome of the reaction.