What is the function of carbonic anhydrase?

Carbonic anhydrase is a protein that helps regulate the pH and acid-base balance of blood and other animal organs Its main function is to transform carbon dioxide into bicarbonate, which is transported to the lungs Most organisms, from bacteria to plants, have this protein It also has some applications in the field of medicine and is an active inhibitor of many drugs Carbon dioxide is produced by aerobic respiration and lipolysis It is exhaled through the lungs The carbon dioxide produced by the whole body needs to be transmitted to the lungs through the blood It is transferred in many forms, but mainly bicarbonate When bicarbonate reaches the lung, it changes back to carbon dioxide, so it can exhale out of the body Carbonic anhydrase converts carbon dioxide into bicarbonate in the form of reversible reactions, mainly in red blood cells This happens naturally, but at a much slower rate than the body needs As an enzyme, carbonic anhydrase can accelerate the reaction obviously It is one of the fastest enzymes This reaction captures the bicarbonate in the cell, because it does not diffuse out of the cell like carbon dioxide Carbonic anhydrase has a zinc molecule in its active site, which is a component of metalloenzyme This is one of the reasons why zinc is needed in human diet This carbonic anhydrase mechanism involves binding a water molecule to a zinc atom OH group binds with carbon atom of CO2 to form bicarbonate ion Then the proton H + is released The amount of carbonic anhydrase in different organic matter is different There are five independent classes known One of them is alpha, which consists of at least 14 human enzymes Their properties depend on their molecular compartments or tissues Many forms are extracellular or membrane bound This promotes the diffusion of carbon dioxide and protons in cells Carbonic anhydrase can destroy the pH in cells by increasing proton activity This helps cells maintain a constant cell pH Too many protons can interfere with many cell responses The effect of carbonic anhydrase varies with different tissues In the stomach, it involves the secretion of gastric acid while keeping saliva neutral It also affects the water content of cells in the eyes and kidneys If the carbonic anhydrase in these parts is deficient or does not work properly, it will lead to disease For example, if the eye accumulates too much fluid, it can cause glaucoma A variety of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are used in medicine, mainly to control glaucoma The most commonly used inhibitor is acetazolamide It can be used in the treatment of epilepsy and altitude response, as well as other diseases In plants, carbon dioxide from the air is converted into sugar by photosynthesis Excess carbon dioxide is stored in plants as bicarbonate Plants use carbonic anhydrase to convert bicarbonate into carbon dioxide and use it for photosynthesis.