Fundamentals of enzyme kinetics.

This chapter provides a general introduction to the kinetics of enzyme-catalyzed reactions, with a focus on drug-metabolizing enzymes. A prerequisite to understanding enzyme kinetics is having a clear grasp of the meanings of "enzyme" and "catalysis." Catalysts are reagents that can increase the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the reaction. Enzymes are proteins that form a subset of catalysts. These concepts are further explored below.