PREFACE 



Enzyme inhibitors have become valuable tools in many of the biological 

 sciences and are used widely to study isolated enzymes and the various 

 aspects of cellular metabolism, growth, and function in organisms ranging 

 from protozoa to mammals and from bacteria to the higher plants, as the 

 voluminous and disseminated modern literature shows. However, inhibitors 

 can be more than tools. The study of the manifold actions of all substances 

 that significantly distort cellular metabolism is one of the major provinces 

 of molecular biology and its ramifications extend throughout all levels of 

 biological investigation. My simple aims in writing these volumes are to 

 present concisely the basic principles of inhibition, to describe the actions 

 and mechanisms of the most important and interesting inhibitors, to cor- 

 relate the actions at the enzyme level with the changes observed in cellular 

 function, and to provide practical information on the uses of these inhibitors. 

 It is hoped that these books will aid investigators in the various disciplines 

 in discovering the fundamental relationships that occur ubiquitously in 

 living matter and thus will advance in a small way the search for the elusive 

 laws of cellular organization involved in the flow of energy that characterizes 

 vital processes. There is another aim which is in one sense more personal. 

 I believe that the subject of enzyme inhibition is fascinating in itself and 

 I would like to think that my presentation here will inspire interest in others 

 so that they will come to share my enthusiasm. 



Every attempt has been made to place inhibition on a quantitative basis, 

 inasmuch as I am convinced that only in this way can work with inhibitors 

 develop significantly. Indeed, some of the theoretical and quantitative 

 aspects have been developed here beyond our present experimental knowl- 

 edge in the hope that this will stimulate both accurate experiments and 

 better theoxies. I have not restricted the treatment to the enzyme and 

 cellular metabolic levels but wherever possible have considered the actions 

 of inhibitors on functioning organs and whole animals. Attention has not 

 been primarily focused on any form of life — microorganisms, plants, or 

 animals — but instead the attempt has been made to treat all equally on the 



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