Tetanus is also commonly called lockjaw, because the infection primarily causes muscle contractions in the jaw and neck, but can eventually spread to other parts of the body. Without treatment, tetanus infection can be life-threatening.
Competitive inhibitors. The inhibitor (I) competes with the substrate (S) for the enzyme active site (also known as the S-binding site). Binding of either of these molecules in the active site is a mutually exclusive event. The substrate and inhibitor share a high degree of structural similarity.
An active site is the part of an enzyme that directly binds to a substrate and carries a reaction. It contains catalytic groups which are amino acids that promote formation and degradation of bonds. The inhibitor has an affinity for the active site of an enzyme where the substrate also binds to. 2  This type of inhibition can be overcome by increasing the concentrations of substrate, out-competing the inhibitor. 3  Competitive inhibitors are often similar in structure to the real substrate.