MSCI530.EnzymesinMed
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ENZYMES IN CLINCAL MEDICINE
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Enzymes in Clinical Medicine
Name
Liberty University
MSCI 530: Introduction to Human Metabolism and Disease
19 January 2024
ENZYMES IN CLINCAL MEDICINE
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Enzymes in Clinical Medicine
Introduction
Enzymes have many clinical applications for patients in the field of medicine. One use of enzymes is for diagnostic testing. When testing for the presence or absence of enzymes in an individual’s system, the assays that are used to test for the necessary enzymes are enzyme-based.
Additionally, there are therapeutic indications for the use of enzymes as well as in clinical research, with many enzymes currently in development for use. To ensure that the human body is
able to do the required processes to maintain homeostasis, enzymes play a crucial role in carrying out certain reactions which in turn make them important in the clinical setting for many reasons, as noted in this paper. Enzyme-based Assays
To assess the prevalence of certain enzymes in an individual’s body, enzyme-based assays are significantly important in medicine (Hemalatha et al., 2013). Not only are these assays
used to determine if and how much of an enzyme a person has in their body, but they are also used to determine how effective the enzymes are in their necessary processes. One example of this is when determining how well the liver is functioning. A lab test for liver enzymes is often ordered to determine the amount of the necessary liver enzymes the individual has and how effective they are at carrying out the processes in the body (Hemalatha et al., 2013). Other laboratory tests that are done for the purpose of checking certain enzymes includes tests for myocardial infarctions using a troponin test, other cardiac diseases through cardiac enzyme tests,
damage to the liver in a person exhibiting signs of jaundice, certain cancer tests, tests for
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pancreatitis such as amylase and lipase, and other medical disorders that are evident as a result of
abnormal responses to enzymes in the body (Hemalatha et al., 2013). Enzyme-based Therapeutic Uses
Diagnostic testing is not the only place in which enzymes are necessary in medicine, there are also many therapeutic ways in which enzymes can be used. Some of the most frequently utilized enzymes for therapeutic use include collagenase, L-asparaginase, Uricase, and
Streptokinase just to name a few (Tradon et al., 2021). Streptokinase plays a very critical pole as an enzyme that is utilized for dissolving blot clots in those patients with pulmonary emboli, cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs), and deep vein thrombi before they become fatal. In the case of the enzyme Uricase, this enzyme has been utilized in Europe for the prevention of chemotherapy induced hyperuricemia in patients with cancer or those being treated for gout (Yang et al., 2012). Patients with skin conditions that result in wounds or those with significant burns benefit from the use of collagenase as an enzyme that induces the healing of said wounds/burns, as it is capable of breaking down and removing dead skin tissue to allow for new healthy skin cells to take hold at the injury site (MedlinePlus, 2022). The other enzyme that was mentioned, L-asparaginase is used in treating patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), as the enzyme starves the cells causing the ALL of the nutrients that are needed to maintain the cell growth, thus slowing the growth of the cancer. Conclusion
It is easy to see that enzymes are crucial in the clinical setting as they are not only used in
testing and diagnosing medical conditions but are also significantly important in treating and/or
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preventing certain diseases. As additional research is done to determine the effectiveness of enzymes in human, said enzymes will continue to be important in the field of medicine.
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References
Hemalatha T;UmaMaheswari T;Krithiga G;Sankaranarayanan P;Puvanakrishnan R. (2013). Enzymes in clinical medicine: An overview. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology
, 51(10),
777-88. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/e24266101/
.
MedlinePlus. (2022). Collagenase clostridium histolyticum injection. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a612029.html
Tandon S, Sharma A, Singh S, Sharma S, Sarma SJ. Therapeutic enzymes: Discoveries, production and applications. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2021.102455 Yang X, Yuan Y, Zhan C-G, Liao F. (2012). Uricases as therapeutic agents to treat refractory gout: Current states and Future Directions. Drug Development Research, 73(2):
66-72. https://www.doi.org/10.1002/ddr.20493