Meaning of Antibodies (What they are, Concept and Definition)

Antibodies are proteins that act on the immune system as defenders of the organism against bacteria, viruses and other foreign bodies.

Human antibodies are classified as proteins immunoglobulins, produced by a specific white blood cell called a B lymphocyte.

To create the antibodies, the B lymphocytes use the immune responses obtained through the antigens present in the invading microorganisms.

From phagocytosis, phagocytes store the antigen captured from the invading body and transmit it to another type of immune cell, known as a T4 lymphocyte or a T helper lymphocyte.

Upon receiving the antigens, the T4 lymphocytes command the B lymphocytes to produce antibodies specific to the type of antigen that was captured.

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Antibodies and Antigens

As stated earlier, antigens and antibodies are essential parts of the immune system.

The antigens are molecules that are responsible for triggering an immune response in the body, attracting B lymphocytes and D lymphocytes.

These molecules are found in invading structures, such as bacteria, viruses and any other type of foreign body that affects the organism.

The main function of antibodies is to recognize the antigen present in the body and attack it, insulating it and blocking its toxins, in addition to preventing its multiplication. Antibodies also attract macrophages that are responsible for “eating up” the parasitic body in the body (phagocytosis).

It is worth remembering that the antibody-antigen relationship is characterized as an adaptive immune response, that is, the antibodies only recognize the specific antigens that were the basis of their creation previously.

Antibodies produced from the antigen present on an X bacterium did not serve to stop the advance of another type of invading microorganism, such as a Y bacterium, for example.

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