Factors
Determining Immunogenicity - 2
Factors that determine an antigens
immunogenicity are: (continued)
˜Structure of
antigenic molecule
˜Size of
antigenic dose
ˆthe more
complex the structure the more antigenic the molecule
ˆsynthetic
molecules (teflon) with repeating units are not immunogenic
ˆcomplex
molecules (aromatic amines like phenylalanine) are more immunogenic
ˆoptimal dose
varies depending on antigen
ˆlarge doses
or repeated doses may lead to tolerance
ˆlarge doses
may inhibit antibody production
