Midazolam alleviates cellular senescence in SH-SY5Y neuronal cells in Alzheimer's disease

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) impacts the daily life of aging people. Oligomerized amyloid β (Aβ)‐associated neuronal senescence is involved in the pathological mechanism of AD. Blockage of neuronal senescence has been considered an important strategy for the treatment of AD. Midazolam is a hypnotic‐sedative drug with pleiotropic properties.AimsHowever, the effects of Midazolam in oligomerized Aβ1.42‐induced neurotoxicity have not been reported previously. Here, we investigate whether Midazolam possesses a beneficial effect against oligomerized Aβ1.42 in SH‐SY5Y neuronal cells.Materials and MethodsCellular senescence was assessed using senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase staining. Telomerase activity was measured using the TeloTAGGG Telomerase PCR ELISA.ResultsFirst, the lactate dehydrogenase release assay demonstrates that 10 and 20 µM are the optimal concentrations of Midazolam used for cell cultures. Senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase staining results indicate that exposure to oligomerized Aβ1.42 significantly increased cellular senescence of SH‐SY5Y cells, but it was significantly alleviated by Midazolam. Additionally, Midazolam restored the oligomerized Aβ1.42‐induced reduction of telomerase activity. Interestingly, we found that oligomerized Aβ1.42 remarkably reduced human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene expression but increased the telomeric repeat‐binding factor 2 (TERF2) expression. However, treatment with Midazolam reversed the effects of oligomerized Aβ1.42 on the hTERT and TERF2 gene expressions. Importantly, the presence of Midazolam attenuated Aβ1.42‐induced p53 and p21 expressions. Mechanistically, Midazolam repressed the level of cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) and the release of prostaglandin E2. Importantly, overexpression of COX‐2 abolished the impact of Midazolam against oligomerized Aβ1.42 in neuronal senescence.ConclusionWe conclude that the usage of Midazolam is a potential treatment strategy for AD.