What role do enzymes play in biochemical reactions?

Enzymes play a crucial role in biochemical reactions as catalysts, meaning they speed up the reactions without being consumed in the process. The mechanism by which they achieve this is by lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to take place. Activation energy is the minimum energy needed for reactants to undergo a transformation into products. By lowering this barrier, enzymes allow biochemical reactions to proceed more efficiently and at a faster rate, critical for sustaining life processes.

In the context of the choices provided, being substrates that are consumed in the reactions misrepresents the function of enzymes since they remain unchanged after the reaction. Expressing that enzymes act as inhibitors overlooks their primary role as facilitators of reactions, while stating that they are the final products of biochemical reactions misunderstands their function entirely. Enzymes initiate and enhance reactions but do not appear as end products.