OLEOYLANILIDE, A POSSIBLE CAUSATIVE AGENT OF TOXIC OIL SYNDROME, INTERFERES WITH THE CYTOSKELETON IN A NEURONAL CELL-LINE

We have examined the effects of oleoylanilide, one of the main candida tes in the etiology of the toxic oil syndrome, in the neuroblastoma ce ll line N2A. Oleoylanilide treatment causes two kinds of phenomena: al teration of the actin cytoskeleton, creating a brush-like protrusion o f actin at the periphery of the cells, and reduction of the adhesivene ss of these cells to laminin and fibronectin, two of the main componen ts of the extracellular matrix in the central nervous system. These ef fects could be correlated with symptoms shown in the acute and chronic phases of the disease. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.