Digestive enzymes belong to which class of enzymes?

Digestive enzymes are classified as hydrolases because they primarily function by catalyzing the hydrolysis of various biomolecules, breaking them down into smaller units. Hydrolases facilitate the addition of water to a substrate, which leads to the cleavage of chemical bonds.

In the context of digestion, these enzymes act on carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, helping to convert complex food substances into simpler forms that can be readily absorbed by the body. For instance, amylase breaks down starch into sugars, proteases break down proteins into amino acids, and lipases break down fats into fatty acids and glycerol. This specific role of hydrolases in the hydrolysis of biomolecules makes them essential for the digestive process, enabling nutrient absorption in the intestines.

The other classes of enzymes serve very different functions: oxidoreductases are involved in oxidation-reduction reactions, transferases catalyze the transfer of functional groups from one molecule to another, and ligases are responsible for joining two molecules together with the formation of a new bond. Therefore, the classification of digestive enzymes as hydrolases is accurate given their role in breaking down macromolecules using water.