Does Antigen Stimulate Immune Response?

Antigens are any substances that the immune system can recognize and that can thus stimulate an immune response. If antigens are perceived as dangerous (for example, if they can cause disease), they can stimulate an immune response in the body.

What stimulates the immune response?

Antigens and antibodies

An antigen is a molecule that stimulates an immune response and to which antibodies bind – in fact, the name is derived from “antibody generators.” Any given organism contains several different antigens.

What is the role of antigens in the immune response?

Antigens are substances (usually proteins) on the surface of cells, viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Nonliving substances such as toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles (such as a splinter) can also be antigens. The immune system recognizes and destroys, or tries to destroy, substances that contain antigens.