Marine toxins and the cytoskeleton: azaspiracids

The azaspiracids (AZAs) are a group of marine phycotoxins discovered during the second half of the 1990s. Several cases of human intoxication due to the presence of AZAs in shellfish have been reported, with gastrointestinal symptoms. Toxicological studies in vivo and in vitro have revealed that var...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The FEBS journal 2008-12, Vol.275 (24), p.6075-6081
Main Author: Vilarino, Natalia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
actin
Actins - drug effects
Animals
azaspiracid
azaspiracid poisoning
Biochemistry
cell adhesion
Cell Line, Tumor
cell morphology
Cellular biology
cytoskeleton
Cytoskeleton - drug effects
Cytoskeleton - pathology
cytotoxicity
detachment
Diarrhea - chemically induced
Furans - chemistry
Furans - poisoning
Furans - toxicity
Humans
irreversibility
Marine biology
marine phycotoxin
Marine Toxins - chemistry
Marine Toxins - poisoning
Marine Toxins - toxicity
Molecular Conformation
Neuroblastoma
Phytoplankton
Pyrans - chemistry
Pyrans - poisoning
Pyrans - toxicity
Shellfish
Spiro Compounds - chemistry
Spiro Compounds - poisoning
Spiro Compounds - toxicity
Toxicology
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Summary:The azaspiracids (AZAs) are a group of marine phycotoxins discovered during the second half of the 1990s. Several cases of human intoxication due to the presence of AZAs in shellfish have been reported, with gastrointestinal symptoms. Toxicological studies in vivo and in vitro have revealed that various cell types are sensitive to AZA toxicity; however, the biological target of the toxin is still unknown. One of the in vitro signs of AZA toxicity is the alteration of the actin cytoskeleton arrangement, which is accompanied by changes in cell shape and loss of cell adherence to the substrate. Moreover, the cytoskeletal damage is irreversible after toxin withdrawal. Several other in vitro effects of AZAs have been described that could be related to cytoskeletal changes, such as E-cadherin degradation, caspase activation/apoptosis, membrane cholesterol reduction, or gene expression alterations, although evidence for a direct relationship between any of these effects and AZA-induced cytoskeletal damage is still nonexistent.
ISSN:1742-464X
1742-4658
DOI:10.1111/j.1742-4658.2008.06713.x