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 candidates in the etiology of the toxic oil syndrome, in the neuroblastoma cell line N2A. Oleoylanilide treatment causes two kinds of phenomena: alteration of the actin cytoskeleton, creating a brush-like protrusion of actin at the periphery of the cells, and reduction of the adhesiveness of these cells to laminin and fibronectin, two of the main components of the extracellular matrix in the central nervous system. These effects could be correlated with symptoms shown in the acute and chronic phases of the disease.