What is the term for a substance produced by the body that can destroy or inactivate antigens?

The term for a substance produced by the body that can destroy or inactivate antigens is an antibody. Antibodies are specialized proteins generated by the immune system in response to foreign substances known as antigens, such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins. When antigens are detected, lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, produce antibodies that bind to these antigens. This binding can neutralize the harmful effects of the antigens, mark them for destruction by other immune cells, or prevent their ability to infect cells.

Antigens themselves are the foreign substances that trigger an immune response; they are not produced by the body. Pathogens refer to microorganisms that can cause disease, like bacteria or viruses, whereas lymphocytes are the immune cells that produce antibodies, but they are not the antibodies themselves. Thus, the definition of an antibody aligns perfectly with the question's requirement for a substance that can neutralize or destroy antigens.