Question

Type 2 diabetes (insulin-independent diabetes) is a non-infectious disease. If not treated this disease is characterised by large fluctuations in the concentration of glucose in the blood Maltase is an enzyme that completes the digestion of starch in humans Molecules of maltase are bound to the microvilli of epithelial cells in the small intestine Ascorbate is a drug used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Molecules of ascorbic have a very similar shape to that of the substrate for maltase. (1) Explain how ascorbase acts to inhibit these membrane-bound enzymes.

Answer 1

Answer: Ascorbase a form of ascorbate, a drug used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes which acts to inhibit maltase a membrane bound enzyme that completes the digestion of starch in the human body.this inhibition is done through;

- By preventing substrates from binding to the active site therefore forming few enzyme complex substrates.

- it also inhibits the enzymes by binding to the active sites of that enzyme.

- it also does so by reacting slowly and also because it has a complementary shape to the active site of the enzyme maltase.