Pretreatment but not subsequent coincubation with midazolam reduces the cytotoxicity of temozolomide in neuroblastoma cells

Background Temozolomide (TMZ) induces a G2/M cell cycle arrest and is used for treatment of paediatric tumours, especially neuroblastomas. Patients treated with TMZ frequently receive midazolam for sedation prior to surgery and other interventions. Previous studies suggested both cytoprotective and apoptosis-inducing properties of midazolam. Therefore, the impact of midazolam on TMZ-induced cytotoxicity was investigated in vitro. Methods Human neuroblastoma cells were incubated with midazolam alone, as a pretreatment prior to incubation with TMZ or a coincubation of both. Cell viability and proliferation was analysed (XTT and BrdU assay) after 24 h and flowcytometric cell cycle analysis was performed after 24 and 48 h. Results Midazolam alone increased cell viability at lower concentrations (2, 4, 8, 16 μM), whereas higher concentrations (128, 256, 512 μM) reduced cell viability. Pretreatment with midazolam 6 h prior to TMZ incubation reduced cytotoxic effects (IC 25 1005 ± 197 μM; IC 50 1676 ± 557 μM; P < 0.05) compared to incubation with TMZ alone (IC 25 449 ± 304 μM; IC 50 925 ± 196 μM) and reduced the antiproliferative effect of TMZ (1000 μM) by 43.9 % ( P < 0.05). In contrast, cytotoxic effects of TMZ were increased (IC 75 1175 ± 221 μM vs. 2764 ± 307 μM; P < 0.05) when midazolam pretreatment was followed by coincubation of midazolam and TMZ. Cell cycle analysis revealed increased fractions of cells in G2/M phase after TMZ treatment (100 μM; 48 h), irrespective of midazolam pretreatment. Conclusion Midazolam causes a hormetic dose–response relationship in human neuroblastoma cells. Pretreatment with midazolam reduces the cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects of TMZ without interfering with G2/M cell cycle arrest. In contrast, subsequent midazolam coincubation increases overall cytotoxicity.