Near infrared imaging agent

A method according to at least one of the above claims, characterized in that F within the general formula I

• represents a cyanine dye of the general formula IIa
• 10
• wherein
• r represents the numbers 0, 1 or 2, on condition that, for r=2, the respective fragments L6 and L7 that occur in duplicate may be same or different,
• L1 to L7 are same or different, each independently representing a fragment CH or CR, where
• R is a halogen atom, a hydroxy, carboxy, acetoxy, amino, nitro, cyano or sulfonic acid group or an alkyl, alkenyl, hydroxyalkyl, carboxyalkyl, alkoxy, alkoxycarbonyl, sulfoalkyl, alkylamino, dialkylamino or halogenalkyl residue containing up to 6 carbon atoms, an aryl, alkylaryl hydroxyaryl, carboxyaryl, sulfoaryl, arylamino, diarylamino, nitroaryl or halogenaryl residue containing up to 9 carbon atoms, or where R represents a bond that bonds to another residue R and forms a 4- to 6-member ring together with the interspersed residues L1 to L7,
• or where R represents one bond, respectively, at two different positions that are linked via a —CO— fragment,
• R3 to R12 are same or different, each independently representing a hydrogen atom, a residue B or W as defined above, or an alkyl or alkenyl residue containing up to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl or aralkyl residue containing up to 9 carbon atoms, said-alkyl, alkenyl, aryl or aralkyl residue optionally carrying an additional residue W as defined above,
• or with 5- to 6-member rings that may be saturated, unsaturated or aromatic, and that may optionally carry an additional residue R as defined above, annelled to each pair of adjacent residues R3 to R10 with due regard for the interspersed C atoms,
• X and Y are same or different, each independently representing an O, S, Se or Te or a —C(CH3)2—, —CH═CH— or —CR13R14— fragment,
• where R13 and R14 independently represent a hydrogen atom, a residue B or W as defined above, or an alkyl or alkenyl residue containing up to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl or aralkyl residue containing up to 9 carbon atoms,
• the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl or aralkyl residue optionally carrying an additional residue W as defined above,
• represents a squarain dye of the general formula IIb
• 11
• wherein
• s and t independently represent the numbers 0 or 1 on the condition that s and t do not represent the number 1 at the same time,
• and R3 to R12, x and y are as defined above,
• represents a styryl dye of the general formula IIc
• 12
• wherein
• r, L1 to L6, R3 to R11 and X are as defined above,
• or represents a merocyanine dye of the general formula IId
• 13
• wherein
• r, L1 to L6, R3 to R8, R11 and X are as defined above and G represents an oxygen or sulfur atom.

A method according to at least one of the above claims, characterized in that W within the general formula I is a carboxy or sulfonic acid group or a carboxyalkyl group or an alkoxycarbonyl or alkoxyoxoalkyl group containing up to 12 carbon atoms,

• represents a residue of the general formulas III
• —(CH2)a—O—Z or (—CH2—CH2—O)a—Z (III)
• wherein
• a represents the numbers 0 to 6
• Z comprises a hydrogen atom or an alkyl residue containing 3 to 6 C atoms that includes 2 to n−1 hydroxy groups, with n being the number of C atoms or an aryl or aralkyl residue containing 6 to 10 C atoms and carrying 2 to 4 additional hydroxy groups, or an alkyl residue containing 1 to 6 C atoms and carrying 1 to 3 additional carboxy groups, or an aryl residue containing 6 to 9 C atoms and carrying 1 to 3 additional carboxyl groups or an aralkyl residue or a nitroaryl or a nitroaralkyl residue containing 6 to 15 C atoms or a sulfoalkyl residue containing 2 to 4 C atoms carrying 1 to 3 additional carboxy groups,
• or represents a residue of the general formulas IIIa or IIIb
• 14
• or a residue of the general formula IIIc
• —(CH2)o—(CO)p—NR1—(CH2)s—(NH—CO)q—R2 (IIIc)
• wherein
• o and s independently represent the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6,
• p and q independently represent 0 or 1,
• R1 and R2 independently represent a residue Z as defined above except the substituents of the general formulas IIIa and IIIb, or independently represent a residue of the general formulas IIId or IIIe
• 15
• on the condition that p and q=1,
• or represents a residue of the general formula IIIc as defined above.

Cyanine dyes of the general formula V

• 16
• where
• Q is a fragment
• 17
• where R30 represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group, a carboxy group, an alkoxy residue containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a chlorine atom, b is an integer 2 or 3, R31 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl residue containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms,
• X and Y independently represent an —O—, —S—, —CH═CH— or —C(CH2R32)(CH2R33)— fragment each,
• R20 to R29, R32 and R33 independently represent a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group, a carboxy-, a sulfonic acid residue or a carboxyalkyl-, alkoxycarbonyl or alkoxyoxoalkyl residue containing up to 10 C atoms or a sulfoalkyl residue containing up to 4 C atoms,
• or a non-selectively bonding macromolecule or a residue of the general formula VI
• —(O)v—(CH2)o—CO—NR34—(CH2)s—(NH—CO)q—R35 (VI)
• on the condition that, where X and Y are O, S, —CH═CH— or —C(CH3)2—, at least one of the residues R20 to R29 corresponds to a non-selectively bonding macromolecule or a compound of the general formula VI,
• where
• o and s equal 0 or independently represent an integer between 1 and 6,
• q and v independently represent 0 or 1,
• R34 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl residue,
• R35 represents an alkyl residue containing 3 to 6 C atoms and comprising 2 to n−1 hydroxy groups, with n being the number of C atoms, or an alkyl residue containing 1 to 6 C atoms that carries 1 to 3 additional carboxy groups, an aryl residue containing 6 to 9 C atoms or arylalkyl residue containing 7 to 15 C atoms, or a residue of the general formula IIId or IIIe
• 18
• on the condition that q is 1,
• or a non-selectively bonding macromolecule,
• R20 and R21, R21 and R22, R22 and R231 R24 and R25, R25 and R26 R26 and R27, together with the interspersed carbon atoms, form a 5- or 6-member aromatic or saturated annelled ring,
• as well as their physiologically tolerable salts.