Chemical binding of folic acid and methotrexate to bovine fibrinogen

The binding of folic acid as a model compound and methotrexate as a representative of antifolates to bovine fibrinogen with the aid of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino-propyl)-carbodiimide was investigated in order to study the possibility of using fibrinogen as a drug carrier. Soluble modified fibrinogen derivatives containing 0.03-0.1 mg of folic acid or methotrexate per mg of protein were obtained under optimal conditions. These derivatives retained the ability to form fibrin clot by the action of thrombin and to copolymerize with native fibrinogen to the three dimensional fibrin network. At higher concentrations of water soluble carbodiimide, higher temperature and low pH highly cross-linked derivatives of fibrinogen and folic acid (or methotrexate) were formed which were insoluble in water and salt solutions (pseudofibrin). The modified fibrin was extensively proteolytically cleaved by plasmin, pepsin, trypsin and cathepsin D, whereas the proteolysis of insoluble pseudofibrin was very slow.