From Volume 44, Issue 9, October 2017 | Pages 870-874
The immune system is the body's primary defence mechanism against infections, and disturbances in the system can cause disease if the system fails in defence functions (in immunocompromised people), or if the activity is detrimental to the host (as in auto-immune and auto-inflammatory states). A healthy immune system is also essential to normal health of dental and oral tissues. This series presents the basics for the understanding of the immune system; this article covers antibodies.
Antibodies (immunoglobulins) are a heterogeneous group of proteins employed by the immune system specifically to identify, neutralize and destroy pathogens.
Antibodies are produced by activated B-lymphocytes (plasma cells) and react specifically with the antigen that stimulated their production; they make up approximately 20% of the plasma proteins. Antibodies confer humoral immunity – protection mainly against pyogenic (pus-producing) bacteria. There are five different classes of antibodies (IgG, IgM, IgD, IgE and IgA); each has a unique function, described below, but the primary function of all antibodies is to bind antigens, and enhance their inactivation and destruction.
Antibody production is usually dependent upon, and modulated by, T-cells. These either assist (T-helper [Th] cells), or moderate (T-suppressor [Ts] cells) antibody production via several cytokines, including interleukins (IL) 1–7, and B-cell growth factor (BCGF).
Antibodies can be present both as soluble proteins in the circulation or on the surface of B-cells as membrane-bound proteins known as B-cell receptors (BCR).
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