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.
The inhibitor is not acted on by the enzyme but does prevent the substrate from approaching the active site. The degree to which a competitive inhibitor interferes with an enzymeâs activity depends on the relative concentrations of the substrate and the inhibitor.