Which white blood cells are responsible for antibody production?

Lymphocytes are the type of white blood cells primarily responsible for the production of antibodies. They play a crucial role in the adaptive immune response, which is the body’s tailored immune reaction to specific pathogens. There are two main types of lymphocytes involved in this process: B cells and T cells.

B cells are the specific subtype of lymphocytes that produce antibodies. When activated by antigens, which are foreign substances that provoke an immune response, B cells differentiate into plasma cells that secrete large quantities of antibodies. These antibodies bind specifically to the antigens, marking them for destruction by other immune cells or neutralizing them directly.

T cells, while important for cell-mediated immunity and regulating the immune response, do not produce antibodies. Instead, they help identify infected cells and coordinate the immune response. The other types of white blood cells mentioned, like eosinophils, neutrophils, and monocytes, serve different functions within the immune system, such as fighting parasites, engulfing pathogens, and presenting antigens to T cells, respectively, but they do not produce antibodies. Thus, lymphocytes are uniquely positioned to fulfill the role of antibody production in the immune response.