Question

What distinguishes an inhibitor from an inactivator?

Short answer

Inhibitors reduce the activity of an enzyme while inactivators permanently block the activity of an enzyme.

Step-by-step solution

Inhibitors

Many compounds affect an enzyme's activity by interacting with it to affect its substrate binding and turnover number,resulting in reduced enzyme activity. These substances are known as Inhibitors.

Inhibitors reduce enzymes activity by binding reversibly with the enzyme. Some inhibitors are compounds structurally similar to the substrates of respective enzymes but do not react with them or react extremely slowly. Other inhibitors affect enzymatic activity by binding to the enzyme-substrate complex. Many inhibitors do both.

Inactivators

Inactivators function through several different mechanisms.Inactivators, also known as irreversible enzyme inhibitors, attach to an enzyme so strongly that they prevent it from functioning permanently.

Explanation

Inhibitors reversibly bind to the enzymes to diminish their activity, while inactivators bind irreversibly to the enzymes.