Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts to speed up chemical reactions by lowering their activation energy. They work through a lock-and-key mechanism where the enzyme and substrate physically fit together. This binding allows the enzyme to facilitate the reaction. Enzyme function can be inhibited through competitive inhibitors, which bind to the active site, or noncompetitive inhibitors, which induce a conformational change in the enzyme preventing substrate binding. Environmental factors like temperature, pH, and salt concentration can also impact an enzyme's activity by causing it to denature.