antigeenische

Antigeenische is an adjectival term used in Dutch and German to denote properties related to antigens. In immunology, antigenicity refers to the ability of a substance to be recognized and bound by components of the adaptive immune system, such as antibodies or T-cell receptors. An antigen can contain multiple epitopes—the specific parts that are recognized. B-cell epitopes are accessible on the surface and bind antibodies; T-cell epitopes are peptides presented by MHC molecules to T cells.

Antigenicity is not the same as immunogenicity. A substance can be antigenic but not immunogenic (for example, haptens are small molecules that are antigenic but require a carrier protein to elicit an immune response). Immunogenicity is the capacity to induce humoral and/or cellular immune responses. Both properties are influenced by how the immune system encounters the molecule, including dose, route of exposure, and the presence of adjuvants.

Determinants of antigenicity and immunogenicity include size and molecular complexity (larger and more structurally diverse molecules typically present more epitopes), three‑dimensional structure, stability, solubility, and accessibility to immune receptors. Foreignness to the host and prior exposure history also shape the response, as does context such as inflammation or infection.

Applications and implications of antigenicity include the use of specific antigens in serological tests to detect antibodies, the design of vaccines that aim to maximize protective immunogenicity against key epitopes, and the potential for cross‑reactivity to cause allergies or autoimmune phenomena. Related terms include antigen, epitope, immunogenicity, and hapten.