History
Okadaic acid was named from the marine sponge Halichondria okadai, from which okadaic acid was isolated for the first time. It has also been isolated from another marine sponge, H. malanodocia, as a cytotoxin. The real producers of okadaic acid belong to the algae group of the dinoflagellates, namely the benthic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum and the planktonic forms of Dinophysis, as for example Dinophysis acuminata. Administration of okadaic acid has been shown to profoundly increase the secretion of nerve growth factor, and to also promote nerve growth factor gene transcription and the stability of mRNA in primary cultures of cortical astrocytes.
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