Introduction

The immune system is responsible for protecting the body of infectious agents. The immune system recognizes foreign antigens and generates a defense response. But what are antibodies and antigens?

What is an antigen?

An antigen is a substance that can be recognized by the immune system as foreign or dangerous to the body. Antigens can be viruses, bacteria, foreign cells, foreign molecules, among others. When an antigen enters the body, the immune system recognizes its presence and activates a specific immune response to combat it.

• Antigens can be:
• Proteins: they are the most common types of antigens in the human body.
• Carbohydrates: it is less common to find antigens of this type in the human body.
• Lipids: they are toxic and dangerous for the human body.

The presence of an antigen in the body triggers the production of antibodies to fight it.

What is an antibody?

Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system in response to the presence of antigens in the body. Antibodies bind to antigens and block their action, causing their neutralization and destruction. They can also mark antigens so that they are eliminated by white blood cells.

• They are also known as immunoglobulins and there are five different classes:
• IgG: the most abundant in the human body
• IgA: found mainly in mucous membranes
• IgM: it is the first to be produced in the event of an infection
• IgD: found in B cells
• IgE: participates in allergic reactions

Differences between antibody and antigen

1. Definition

The antigen is the foreign substance that enters the body while the antibody is the protein produced in response to the presence of the antigen.

2. Function

The antigen triggers the body's immune response while the antibody binds to the antigen and destroys it or marks it for elimination by the immune system.

3 Location

The antigen can be anywhere in the body when it enters while the antibody is produced and flows in the blood and other body fluids.

Conclusion

In short, an antigen is a foreign substance that causes an immune response and triggers the production of antibodies. For their part, antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system that bind and destroy antigens. Understanding the difference between these two terms is essential to understanding how the immune system works and how it our body fights infections.

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