We determined if the potentially otoprotective agent sodium thiosulfate (STS) could be given 6 h after cisplatin without diminishing the antineuroblastoma activity of cisplatin in human neuroblastoma cell lines in vitro (including cisplatin-resistant cell lines) and in neuroblastoma xenografts in vivo.

We determined the antineuroblastoma activity of cisplatin with or without the addition of STS at 0 or 6 h after cisplatin in six neuroblastoma cell lines, both in standard cell culture conditions (20% O(2)) and in physiologic hypoxia (2% O(2)). Drug cytotoxicity was measured using the DIMSCAN fluorescence/digital imaging microscopy assay. In vivo studies of cisplatin combined with STS used a human neuroblastoma subcutaneous xenograft model (SMS-SAN) in athymic nu/nu mice.

A significant protection against cisplatin cytotoxicity was seen when the neuroblastoma cells were exposed to cisplatin directly combined with STS. However, when cisplatin was given first and STS exposure occurred 6 h later, no effect on cisplatin cytotoxicity was observed. In a subcutaneous neuroblastoma xenograft model in nu/nu mice, mice receiving cisplatin alone or cisplatin + STS at 6 h had significantly better progression-free survival rates (P < 0.03) compared with controls or mice treated with cisplatin + STS concurrently. There was no statistically significant difference in outcomes between mice treated with cisplatin alone and the group treated with cisplatin followed by STS 6 h later (P = 0.9).

These preclinical data suggest that the use of STS 6 h after cisplatin for otoprotection is unlikely to compromise the antineuroblastoma activity of cisplatin.