effect of alkylhydroxybenzenes on the antigen-binding capacity of antibodies

The effect of the chemical analogues of microbial extracellular autoregulators belonging to alkylhydroxybenzenes (AHB), hexylresorcinol (HR), and methylresorcinol (MR), on the interactions between specific antibodies and the corresponding antigens was studied. Nonlinear dependency of the inhibition of binding of AHB-modified antibodies on the AHB chemical structures and concentrations was revealed by enzyme immunoassay. Hexylresorcinol was shown to decrease the antibody affinity and avidity indices and simultaneously increase the indices of nonspecific binding of AHB-modified antibodies to antigens, thereby promoting the formation of “false” antigen-antibody complexes. The nonspecificity of the influence of AHB on the antigenbinding capacity of antibodies is an important characteristic of these effects, which allows us to consider AHB as unique “superhaptenes”.