What is the result of increasing substrate concentration in the context of enzyme activity?

Increasing substrate concentration typically leads to an increase in the rate of reaction facilitated by enzymes, up to a certain point. This occurs because more substrate molecules are available to bind to enzyme active sites, which can enhance the number of reactions being catalyzed. As the substrate concentration rises, more enzymes are occupied, and the reaction rate increases correspondingly.

However, there is a limit to this increase. Once all the active sites of the available enzyme molecules are saturated with substrate, adding more substrate will not lead to any further increase in the reaction rate. At this saturation point, the enzyme is functioning at its maximum capacity, and no additional substrate can increase activity further. Thus, while increased substrate concentration initially leads to a higher reaction rate, it eventually plateaus when saturation is achieved, showing the importance of enzyme concentration and activity in biochemical reactions.