The interaction of okadaic acid (OA) with lipid bilayer membranes was studied to obtain information on its incorporation into the target cell. OA, which possesses a polyether structure with a carboxylic acid, was extracted with a chloroform or n-octanol solution from a buffer solution, indicating the hydrophobicity of OA. However, the distribution of OA to dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine membrane was so low that OA did not strongly induce perturbation in the membrane structure. On the other hand, OA permeated freely through the lipid membrane in a liquid-crystalline state. It was therefore suggested that OA permeates through cell membrane and binds to the receptor, for example, protein phosphatase, which exists either in the cytosol or in the cell membrane.
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