Lysozyme

Lysozyme is a natural antibiotic produced by the animal body.

Layman's explanation: Alexander Fleming discovered the antibiotic activity of lysozyme in 1922 when he dropped mucus into a culture of bacteria and noticed that the bacteria were killed. In humans, lysozyme is in the blood, mucus, tears and saliva. The mechanism by which lysozyme kills bacteria is by hydrolyzing the glycosidic bond of the bacterial cell wall, the protective outer coating of the organism. This causes cell lysis, hence the name lysozyme ( zyme is for enzyme).

Keywords: enzyme, antibiotic

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