Pharmaceutical administration of adenosine agonists

A method for achieving a therapeutic effect comprising administering to a subject in need an effective amount of a therapeutic agent that is an agonist of an adenosine A1 receptor, the therapeutic effect comprises preventing reduction in level of leukocytes in a subject as a result of a treatment, wherein said agonist of the adenosine A1 receptor is a compound of general formula (I):

• wherein
• R1 represents a lower alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl;
• a hydroxyl or hydroxyalkyl;
• a phenyl or lower alkylphenyl, the phenyl and lower alkylphenyl are optionally substituted by one or more substituents;
• —SORc, —SO2Rc, —SO3H, —SO2NRaRb, —ORa, —SRa, —NHSO2Rc, —NHCORa, —NRaRb, or —NHRaCO2Rb;
• wherein
• Ra and Rb represent independently a hydrogen, lower alkyl, alkanoyl, amino, phenyl or naphthyl, the alkyl group optionally being substituted with a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl or phenoxy group;
• or when R1 represents —NRaRb, said Ra and Rb form together with the nitrogen atom a 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring optionally containing a second heteroatom selected from the group consisting of oxygen and nitrogen, which second nitrogen heteroatom may optionally be further substituted by hydrogen or lower alkyl;
• or —NRaRb is a group of general formulae (II) or (III):
• wherein n is an integer from 1 to 4;
• Z is hydrogen, lower alkyl or hydroxyl;
• Y is hydrogen, lower alkyl, or OR′ where R′ is hydrogen, lower alkyl or lower alkanoyl;
• A is a bond, a lower alkylene, or a C1-C4 alkenyl;
• X and X′ are each independently hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, hydroxy, lower alkanoyl, nitro, haloalkyl, halogen, amino, mono- or di-lower alkyl amino, or when X and X′ are taken together a methylenedioxy group;
• Rc represents a lower alkyl;
• or
• R1 represents an epoxide substituent of general formulae (IVa) or (IVb):
• wherein M is a lower alkyl group;
• R2 represents hydrogen;
• halogen;
• substituted or unsubstituted lower alkyl or alkenyl group;
• lower haloalkyl or alkenyl;
• cyano;
• acetoamido;
• lower alkoxy;
• lower alkylamino;
• NRdRe where Rd and Re are independently hydrogen, lower alkyl, phenyl or phenyl substituted by lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halogen or haloalkyl or alkoxyl;
• —SRf where Rf is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkanoyl, benzoyl or phenyl;
• W represents the group —OCH2—, —NHCH2—, —SCH2— or —NH(C═O)—;
• R3, R4 and R5 represent independently a hydrogen, lower alkyl or lower alkenyl, branched or unbranched C1-C12 alkanoyl, benzoyl or benzoyl substituted by lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or halo group;
• or R4 and R5 form together a 5-membered ring optionally substituted by a lower alkyl or alkenyl;
• R3 further represents independently a phosphate, hydrogen phosphate or dihydrogen phosphate, or an alkali metal or ammonium or dialkali or diammonium salt thereof;
• R6 represents a hydrogen or halogen atom;
• or
• one of the substituents R1 to R6 is a sulfohydrocarbon radical of the formula Rg—SO3—Rh−, wherein Rg represents a group selected from C1-C10 alkylenyl, phenylenyl and substituted lower alkyl phenylenyl group and Rh represents a monovalent cation;
• wherein when R1 is a substituent of general formula (IVb) the N1-position of the compound of general formula (1) may optionally bear an oxygen atom;
• and pharmaceutically acceptable salts or solvates of said compound.