Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Each antibody binds to a specific antigen in a highly specific interaction analogous to a lock and key.. An antibody (Ab) or immunoglobulin (Ig) is a large, Y-shaped protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily which is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize antigens such as bacteria and viruses, including those that cause disease.
[3] [4] Neutralizing antibodies are part of the humoral response of the adaptive immune system against viruses, bacteria and microbial toxin. By binding specifically to surface structures ( antigen ) on an infectious particle, neutralizing antibodies prevent the particle from interacting with its host cells it might infect and destroy.
The mucous membranes are in constant contact with microorganisms, food, and inhaled antigens. [2] In healthy states , the mucosal immune system protects the organism against infectious pathogens and maintains a tolerance towards non-harmful commensal microbes and benign environmental substances. [ 1 ]
Scheme of the complement system. The complement system, also known as complement cascade, is a part of the humoral, innate immune system and enhances (complements) the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microbes and damaged cells from an organism, promote inflammation, and attack the pathogen's cell membrane. [1]
Breast milk or colostrum also contains antibodies that are transferred to the gut of the infant and protect against bacterial infections until the newborn can synthesize its own antibodies. [78] This is passive immunity because the fetus does not actually make any memory cells or antibodies—it only borrows them. This passive immunity is ...
Antibiotics work by either killing bacteria directly or preventing their growth and spread. “Because if it can’t grow, it will die,” Hai Tran , clinical pharmacist and associate director of ...
Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), also referred to as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, is a mechanism of cell-mediated immune defense whereby an effector cell of the immune system kills a target cell, whose membrane-surface antigens have been bound by specific antibodies. [1]
When you buy a bottle of vitamins from a nutrition store, you’ll probably notice a best-by date on the bottom of the jar. But that inscribed number isn’t a hard-and-fast rule—there is some ...