What Are Antibodies?

An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), has three major functionalities including neutralization, opsonization, and complement activation. In the process of neutralization, antibody combines micro-organism or toxin secretion of the micro-organism to block the toxin from functioning. And in the stage of opsonization, antibody combine with the antigen or pathogen to form a compound to lower or to reduce the expansion of the antigen or pathogen, and enhance the engulfing ability of the cells for cleansing. Last, antigen-antibody interaction or referred as complement activation, in which an antibody and antigen bind and become an immune complex, which functions as a unitary object for activating B cells.