“ treat ” or “ treating ” means any treatment , including , but not limited to , alleviating symptoms of a disease , disorder , or condition . “ preventing ” refers to inhibiting the initial onset of a pathologic process . “ therapeutically effective amount ” means an amount of a compound that is effective in treating or preventing a particular disorder or condition . “ pharmaceutically acceptable carrier ” is a non - toxic solvent , dispersant , excipient , or other material used in formation of a pharmaceutical composition , i . e ., a dosage form capable of administration to a subject or patient . “ immune disorder ” means any disease or pathology that is associated with non - normal function of the immune system such that the immune system is auto reactive , excessively active or otherwise causes a pathological effect on its host that may have an inflammatory component . examples include rheumatoid arthritis , multiple sclerosis , inflammatory bowel disease , graft rejection , myocarditis , atherosclerosis , asthma , chronic bronchitis and psoriasis . a “ selective inhibitor of the adenosine 2 b receptor ” is a substance that has a ki for the receptor of 10 μm or lower and for which the ki on a2b is at least 10 - fold lower than for a1 , a2a and a3 . an “ adenosine 2 b receptor antagonist ” is an inhibitor of the a2b receptor . in various aspects , methods for treating and preventing inflammatory diseases are described . such methods include those for inhibiting the initiation of inflammation , inhibiting inflammatory diseases related to mast cells , inhibiting inflammatory diseases involving activated macrophage , and inhibiting inflammatory diseases involving osteoclasts . the methods include administering adenosine 2b receptor antagonists at a dosage sufficient to selectively inhibit the a2b receptor , thereby modulating the downstream signalling effects of the receptors , causing a beneficial therapeutic affect on a subject / patient . adenosine 2b receptor antagonists include inhibitors described in the following publications : bormann et al ., j . med . chem . 2009 , 52 , 3994 - 4006 , yan et al ., j . med . chem . 2006 , 49 , 4384 4391 , yan and müller j . med . chem . 2004 , 47 , 1031 1043 hayella et al ., j . med . chem . 2002 , 45 , 1500 1510 along with other analogs of similar activity , all of which are hereby incorporated by reference . adenosine 2b receptor antagonists of utility include structures related to the 8 - aryl - xanthines substituted with piperidyl - sulfonamides as indicated in the following generic structure . where r1 and r2 are independently selected from h , alkyl , branched alkyl , 1 - propin - 3 - yl , amino alkyl r3 and r4 are independently selected from h , halogen ( f , cl , br , i ), trifluoromethyl , hydroxyl or alkoxy , methylendioxy . in a preferred embodiment , r2 is h and r1 is an alkyl group and n is 0 , 1 or 2 . in a more preferred embodiment , r2 is h and r1 is propyl , and n is 0 additional adenosine 2b receptor antagonists of utility include structures related to the 8 - aryl - xanthines substituted with piperidyl - sulfonamides as indicated in the following generic structure . where r1 and r2 are independently selected from h , alkyl , branched alkyl , 1 - propin - 3 - yl , amino alkyl further adenosine 2b receptor antagonists of utility include structures related to the 8 - aryl - xanthines substituted with piperidyl - sulfonamides as indicated in the following generic structure . where r1 and r2 are independently selected from h , alkyl , branched alkyl , 1 - propin - 3 - yl , amino alkyl r3 and r4 are independently selected from h , alkylphenyl , alkyl , branched alkyl , hydroxyalkly , carboxyalkyl and alkylarylether , halo aryl , pyridinyl in a preferred embodiment , r2 is h and r1 is an alkyl group and n is 0 , 1 or 2 . in a more preferred embodiment , r2 is h and r1 is propyl , the selectivity of these substances at various adenosine receptors is illustrated as follows : the methods for synthesising the foregoing compounds are recorded in bormann et al ., j . med . chem . 2009 , 52 , 3994 - 4006 . in studies described herein , it is shown that adenosine 2b receptor antagonists prevent and treat inflammatory diseases by selectively inhibiting a spectrum of signal transduction pathways central to the pathogenesis of the inflammatory disease . using collagen - induced arthritis ( cia ) in mice as a model of an exemplary inflammatory disease , rheumatoid arthritis ( ra ), i . p . administration of adenosine 2b receptor antagonists to mice was shown to be effective in treating the progression of cia ( e . g ., example 1 and fig3 ) in mice with established clinical arthritis . after the end of treatment , the inhibitory effect was maintained for a period of 2 - 3 days after which signs began to re - emerge . these data suggest that the activity of the a2b receptor is required for the maintenance of inflammation . perhaps more importantly , these data suggest that it is possible to rapidly suppress established arthritis in the course of the peak inflammatory potential , a period of cia that resembles the conditions of an acute arthritic flair . in further experiments performed in support of the present compositions and methods , the ability of adenosine 2b receptor antagonists to treat and / or prevent another exemplary inflammatory condition , experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis ( eae ), was evaluated . eae is a widely used animal model for multiple sclerosis ( ms ). mice in which eae had been induced were treated with adenosine 2b receptor antagonists once daily i . p . and the severity of the disease was determined using a standard scoring system , described in example 2 . animals treated with adenosine 2b receptor antagonist compound 1 once daily at 15 mg / kg i . p . demonstrated delayed onset such that there were no signs of eae compared to control mice . adenosine 2b receptor antagonists likely provided a beneficial therapeutic effect by inhibiting the signalling required to initiate inflammation . while the eae model is not necessarily able to replicate all aspects of human forms or multiple sclerosis , these data suggest that the adenosine 2b receptor antagonists are able to exert a general anti - inflammatory action irrespective of the inflamed organ . the inhibitors described herein are suitable for once daily injection , however , they are relatively quickly eliminated and thus they are suitable for use in depot and modified release forms as a means to extend their duration of action . in certain applications , rapid elimination is an advantage in that it provides a reduction in toxicological risk . in this respect , in a preferred embodiment , the inhibitor has a plasma half - life following subcutaneous injection of 8 hours or less in human subjects . administration less than every day is also contemplated , for example administration every other day or several times per week or once per week or once every 14 days using formulations designed to have some depot effect . additionally , intermittent courses of therapy with adenosine 2b receptor antagonists or are contemplated , for example , treatment for one week then off drug for one week , or treatment for one week then off drug for three weeks , or treatment only during periods of disease flare . in a preferred embodiment , the adenosine 2b receptor antagonists is administered parenterally . in one embodiment , substance is provided in a simple propylene glycol suspension for subcutaneous administration . in a further embodiment , the suspension may be incorporated in a matrix such as a poly - lactide or similar biocompatible polymers . for treatment of disease of the digestive system and the liver , oral administration is contemplated . in inflammatory bowel disease , oral formulations including enterically coated materials are suitable . solid dosage forms for oral administration include capsules , tablets , pills , powders , and granules . in such solid dosage forms , the active compound is mixed with at least one inert , pharmaceutically - acceptable excipient or carrier , such as sodium citrate or dicalcium phosphate and / or ( a ) fillers or extenders such as starches , lactose , sucrose , glucose , mannitol , and silicic acid , ( b ) binders such as , for example , carboxymethylcellulose , alginates , gelatin , polyvinylpyrrolidone , sucrose , and acacia , ( c ) humectants such as glycerol , ( d ) disintegrating agents such as agar - agar , calcium carbonate , potato or tapioca starch , alginic acid , certain silicates , and sodium carbonate , ( e ) solution retarding agents such as paraffin , ( f ) absorption accelerators such as quaternary ammonium compounds , ( g ) wetting agents such as , for example , cetyl alcohol and glycerol monostearate , ( h ) absorbents such as kaolin and bentonite clay , and ( i ) lubricants such as talc , calcium stearate , magnesium stearate , solid polyethylene glycols , sodium lauryl sulfate , and mixtures thereof . in the case of capsules , tablets and pills , the dosage form may also comprise buffering agents . solid compositions of a similar type may also be employed as fillers in soft and hard - filled gelatin capsules using such excipients as lactose or milk sugar as well as high molecular weight polyethylene glycols and the like . the solid dosage forms of tablets , dragees , capsules , pills , and granules may be prepared with coatings and shells such as enteric coatings and other coatings well known in the pharmaceutical formulating art . they may optionally contain opacifying agents and can also be of a composition that they release the active ingredient ( s ) only , or preferentially , in a certain part of the intestinal tract , optionally , in a delayed manner . examples of embedding compositions which can be used include polymeric substances and waxes . the active compound can also be in micro - encapsulated form , if appropriate , with one or more of the above - mentioned excipients . liquid dosage forms for oral administration include pharmaceutically - acceptable emulsions , solutions , suspensions , syrups and elixirs . in addition to the active compounds , the liquid dosage forms may contain inert diluents commonly used in the art such as , for example , water or other solvents , solubilizing agents and emulsifiers such as ethyl alcohol , isopropyl alcohol , ethyl carbonate , ethyl acetate , benzyl alcohol , benzyl benzoate , propylene glycol , 1 , 3 - butylene glycol , dimethyl formamide , oils ( in particular , cottonseed , groundnut , corn , germ , olive , castor , and sesame oils ), glycerol , tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol , polyethylene glycols and fatty acid esters of sorbitan , and mixtures thereof . besides inert diluents , the oral compositions can also include adjuvants such as wetting agents , emulsifying and suspending agents , sweetening , flavoring , and perfuming agents . suspensions may contain , in addition to the active compounds , suspending agents as , for example , ethoxylated isostearyl alcohols , polyoxyethylene sorbitol and sorbitan esters , microcrystalline cellulose , aluminum metahydroxide , bentonite , agar - agar , and tragacanth , and mixtures thereof . from the foregoing , various additional aspects and embodiments of the present compositions and methods will become apparent . the following examples are provided to illustrate the compositions and methods but are not intended as limiting . the following examples are illustrative in nature and are in no way intended to be limiting . treatment of rheumatoid arthritis using collagen induced arthritis as a model collagen - induced arthritis studies . cia in dba / 1 mice was induced by injecting dba / 1 mice with bovine type il collagen ( cii ) emulsified in cfa1 followed by boosting 21 days later with cii emulsified in incomplete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant ( ifa ). technical adenosine 2b receptor antagonist ( compound 1 ) was suspended in warm peg 400 at a concentration of 60 mg / ml and diluted 1 in 10 in saline to form an injectable suspension . 30 mg / kg was delivered by i . p . injection once daily , starting following the development of clinical arthritis in treatment experiments . animals were monitored daily following boost of arthritis , following the emergence of clear signs of disease observed on two consecutive days , animals were allocated randomly to treatment groups . signs monitored included weight loss , paw thickness , and observed clinical score . scoring is according to the presence of inflamed joints : 1 point for an inflamed digit , 1 point for a inflamed metatarsus , and 1 point for an inflamed joint above the metatarsus . mice treated with adenosine 2b receptor antagonists displayed significant reductions in the severity of cia based on reduced paw swelling , erythema and joint rigidity as assessed by the mean visual arthritis score , as shown in fig3 . of particular clinical importance in these data is the fact that the adenosine 2b receptor antagonist was able to reduce an existing inflammation to a normal state . this is in contrast to substances such as methotrexate that function only in prophylaxis . method of treating multiple sclerosis , the effect of adenosine 2b receptor antagonists in eae adenosine 2b receptor antagonist compound 1 was tested for its ability to prevent and treat experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis ( eae ), a mouse model of multiple sclerosis ( ms ). eae was induced in c57b / 6 mice by subcutaneous immunization with 100 ug / mouse myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein ( mog ) peptide 35 - 55 emulsified in compete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant ( cfa ) containing 2 mg / ml heat - killed mycobacterium tuberculosis h37ra ( hooke laboratories ). as part of the induction protocol , mice were also injected intraperitoneally on the day of immunization and 48 hours later with 0 . 1 ml of 4 [ mu ] g / ml bordetella pertusis toxin . severity of eae was determined daily based on a standard scoring system : 1 , tail weakness or paralysis ; 2 , hind leg weakness ; 3 , hind limb paralysis ; 4 , forelimb weakness ; and 5 , moribund animals or death . mice treated with 15 mg / kg adenosine 2b receptor antagonists once daily demonstrated a delay in the onset of eae compared to the vehicle control mice . these data demonstrate that the adenosine 2b receptor antagonists are also efficacious in treating a rodent model of multiple sclerosis . adenosine 2b receptor antagonist compound 1 ( 30 mg ) was suspended in 1 ml of warm ( 50 c ) propylene glycol and vigourously ground using either a mortar ( prewarmed ) or a bead mill the resulting homogenate was further mixed with 1 ml of saline containing 1 w / v tween 80 and vigorously mixed . the resulting suspension was then diluted to 10 ml in saline . polylactide co - glycolide was dissolved in n - methyl pyrollidone triacetin to a concentration of 15 % w / v according to madhu et al , 2009 . adenosine 2b receptor antagonist compound 1 ( 100 mg ) was suspended in 1 ml of warm ( 60 c ) polylactideglycolide and homogenised using a bead mill the preparation is tested for its ability to prevent and treat disease as in the earlier examples . adenosine 2b receptor antagonist compound 1 was prepared in either the 1 % methyl cellulose in water , 0 . 2 % tween 80 at 5 mg / ml , or in mouse serum 0 . 8 mg / ml . the cellulose formulation was administered to c57blk6 mice orally . the serum suspension / solution was administered intravenously . at various times after administration , small samples of blood ca . 20 μl were taken and analysed for compound 1 . the results are recorded in fig5 . these data show that compound 1 is not orally available , but is has a terminal half life in the range of 1 to 2 h after i . v . application . while a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above , those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications , permutations , additions and sub - combinations thereof . it is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications , permutations , additions and sub - combinations as are within their true spirit and scope . madhu et al ., international journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences , vol . 1 supp . 1 , november - december 2009
a method of treating inflammatory diseases with adenosine 2b receptor antagonists in particular with xanthine derived inhibitors . the method involves supplying a therapeutically active amount of the compounds of fig . 1 and in particular compound 1 .