Effect of methylmercuric chloride (MMC) on fibrin polymerization.

Methylmercuric chloride (MMC) in concentrations 0.1-10 microM reduces the amount of fibrinopeptides released from thrombin-activated human fibrinogen. However, the fibrin clot formation is not discriminated and the turbidity of the fibrin gel is even augmented. MMC does not cause such changes in the process of repolymerization of fibrin monomers. The addition of fibrinopeptides to the fibrin monomers results in a similar increase of turbidity of the repolymerizing sample in the presence of MMC as in the case of fibrinogen clotting. These experiments indicate that MMC modifies the structure of fibrin in the presence of fibrinopeptides.