There are numerous enzymatic products on the market. This is especially true in the medical field and we sell a number of them here on this web site. But have you ever wondered, what does "Enzymatic" really mean and why enzymes are so critical to include in these products we offer?

 If you look up the word in the dictionary you get:

Digging a little deeper we find that "Enzymatic" typically refers to processes or substance(s) that involve or are related to enzymes. Still not a great explanation so we need to dig into what an enzyme" really is.

Enzymes are biological molecules. They are typically proteins whose job it is to be a catalyst in biochemical reactions. These biochemical reactions are accelerated in living organisms by lowering the active energy required for biochemical reactions to occur. 

Easy Enzymatic Examples

Examples that are easy to identify with proving how vital enzymatic processes are can be found in living organisms, like human beings. Consider the physiological functions like digestion, metabolism, DNA replication etc. Enzymes are extremely important to these processes as they break down complex molecules into simpler ones. They synthesize new molecules and even regulate biochemical pathways. All of these types of processes are "Enzymatic". They are processes, substances or activity that rely on enzymes.

So now that we have a better idea of what "enzymatic" means, let's see how it's related to some of the products we sell and why it makes them so amazing!

How Enzymes Work

Enzymes have extremely specific roles and actions. Each enzyme catalyzes specific reactions or sets of reactions. This is achieved through their unique three-dimensional shapes allowing them to bind to specific molecules. These molecules (substrates) are what the enzyme is targeting or the process that it's catalyzing.

This 3-dimensional structure (tertiary structure) is an arrangement of amino acid residues. The structure creates what could be called a pocket, crevice or more commonly, the active site. This pocket is typically complementary in shape to the targeted substrates allowing the enzyme to be very specific with regards to the molecules it interacts with. I.e. other molecules just don't fit into it. This is sometimes called the "Lock-and-Key Model". The enzyme is the lock and only the correct key (molecule / substrate) will fit into it.

As amazing as the "Lock-and-Key model" is, it can go a step further with the "Induced Fit Model". The pocket, crevice or active site in some enzymes actually change in shape once the correct molecule (substrate) binds or attaches in the pocket. This induced fit enhances its ability and efficiency of finishing its specific job or process.

Enzymes and Medical Cleaning Products

Enzymes are why many medical grade cleaning products work incredibly well. Cleaning products like Enzymatic Detergents (Sani ProZyme™, Endozime™ and EmPower™ - Dual Enzymatic Detergents) all take advantage of the power of enzymes to clean or sterilize medical equipment. The enzymes in them target lipid and protein soils like blood, tissue, mucous and other protein rich bodily fluids. As mentioned above, these protein molecules fit into the pocket, crevice or active site that the 3-dimensional enzyme offers. The enzyme literally digests the organic soils during this enzymatic process and the detergent them, holding them in suspension. Additionally, these detergents include surfactants that provide additional cleaning of carbohydrates as well as lipid and protein soils.

While enzymatic detergents are used to clean many medical devices, AERs (automatic Endoscopic Reprocessors) are endoscopes are a couple of their uses that our customers purchase them for. They work well on most of the most common AERs.

For instance, the Sani ProZyme Enzymatic Detergent can be used with the following AERs.
Advantage, Advantage Plus, All Flusing Pumps, ASP AER Compatible, ASP AER Evotech (2 can), ASP AER Evotech (3 can), CER Optima, Custom Ultrasonics, DSD-Edge, DSD-91E, DSD201, Fujinon, MV1 / CER1, MV2 / CER2, OER Pro, Olympus 180, Olympus 190, Reliance EPS, Steris, SSD-102, System 1E, 83 Plus2, 83 Plus 9.

There's other products that we offer that contain enzymes as well. For instance, Efferzyme™ Cleaning Tablets. Endozyme™ Sponges and the Scope Valet™ CleanStart bedside Kit. All of these products take advantage of amazing properties of enzymes.

Advantage of Using Enzymes

So now let's take a look at what some of the specific advantages are of using enzyme based cleaning products in a medical environment.

• Stain Removal | Enzymes, such as proteases, lipases and amylases are often added to cleaning products to break down organic stains. Protease enzymes, for example, are great at breaking down protein-based stains like blood. And lipase enzymes are better for targeting fat-based stains. And for carbohydrate stains, amylase enzymes work best. As mentioned above, the unique 3-dimensional structure of each of these enzymes allow them to target specific proteins that fit into their pockets, crevices or active sites.
  
  
• Accelerated Cleaning | Because enzymes enhance the cleaning power of medical cleaning products by accelerating the breakdown of organic materials through enzymatic chemical reactions, cleaning happens faster. These enzymatic processes loosen extremely stubborn stains and debris from medical equipment surfaces.
  
  
• Gentle on Materials | As powerful as enzymatic detergents and cleaning products are, most are very gentle on materials. This is why they are a great solution for medical environments. When comparing the alternative solutions like harsh chemical cleaners, enzymatic cleaners just make more sense as they are less likely to cause damage to medical equipment and their surfaces.
  
  
• Environment Friendly | Enzymatic cleaning products are often environment friendly. These cleaners are typically biodegradable compared to some chemical cleaners that might leave behind harmful residues or contribute to environmental pollution. These enzymatic cleaners break down into byproducts that are typically harmless.
  
  
• Reduced Biofilm | Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that adhere to surfaces. They can be resistant to conventional cleaning methos. But enzymatic cleaners break down the organic residues that serve as the nutrients for these bio-film bacteria. Thus, enzymatic cleaners assist in inhibiting their growth or existence.

To sum it all up, Enzymes play a vital role in medical cleaning products. Overall, they are more effective and efficient than conventional cleaning products along with the benefit of being gentle with the medical device surfaces they are intended to clean. Add to this their ability to target specific types of stains (molecules) and they make for a pretty amazing solution for maintaining clean and sterilized medical equipment like AERs and endoscopes.