What
is an enzyme?
An enzyme is a protein that acts as a catalyst to initiate or accelerate a
chemical reaction that supports digestion or metabolism by specifically acting
upon a particular substance or group of substances.
What
is a coenzyme?
An organic molecule required for the action of certain enzymes.
It often contains a vitamin as a component. Coenzymes are generally
made from the B vitamins such as B-1 thiamin, B-2 riboflavin, B-3 niacin, B-5
pantothenic acid, B-6 pyridoxine, or B-12 cobalamin. Coenzymes may be a vitamin,
contain one, or be manufactured in the body by combining a vitamin with one or
more other substances (as in the case of Coenzyme-A).
One of the vitamin components of CoA (abbreviated form) is pantothenic
acid. In fact, scientists derived
its name from the Greek root "panthos," which means
"everywhere" because CoA is found everywhere in the body.
Every organ of the body has CoA in its tissues because every part of the
body has a use for it.
History
It all started with a man named
Professor Hans Adolf Krebs. He
brought us a clear understanding of the essential principle of how released
energy is used for the building up processes which take place within the human
cell. This energy is liberated by the oxidation of a 2-carbon compound to
carbonic acid and water. This 2-carbon compound is derived from the foodstuffs
and is introduced into what has become known as the Krebs cycle. In 1947, the
nature of this compound and the mechanism of its incorporation were discovered
by a Professor Fritz Lipmann. Lipmann
called this compound Coenzyme-A.
Since its discovery in 1947, Coenzyme-A's crucial importance to a host of metabolic processes has been recognized and intensively studied. Function