Compounds for the detection of heme oxygenase 1 (ho-1), and methods and uses involving the same

A compound represented by Formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof:

• wherein the compound is selected from porphyrins, chlorins, bacteriochlorins or isobacteriochlorins, and wherein:
• represents a double or single bond;
• represents a dative or covalent bond between nitrogen and Mn+,
• R1a to R1f are independently selected from H or monovalent hydrocarbyl;
• or i) R1a and R1b are taken together to form a cyclocarbyl, ii) R1c and R1d are taken together to form a cyclocarbyl, iii) R1e is taken together with R2e to form a cyclocarbyl, and/or iv) R1f is taken together with R4 to form a cyclocarbyl;
• R2a and R2b are independently selected from H, monovalent hydrocarbyl or a divalent hydrocarbyl-A1 group, wherein A1 is X2 or a terminating group selected from —COOH, —CSOH, —COSH, —CSSH, —CONH2, —OH, —SH, —NH2, —COORS, —CSOR5, —COSR5, —CSSR5, —CON(R5)2, —CONHR5, —OR 5, —SRS, —N(R5)2, —NHR5, —CH(OR5)2, —CH(OR5)(SR5), —CH(SR5)2,
• wherein R5 is monovalent C1 to C5-hydrocarbyl or X2, and R6 is C1 to C5alkylene;
• or R2a is taken together with R1e to form a cyclocarbyl;
• R1a and R3b are independently selected from H, —CH3, —CH2CH3, —OH, —OCH3, —OCOCH3, —SH, —SCH3, —NH2, —NHCH3, or —N(CH3)2;
• R4 is a divalent C1 to C10-hydrocarbyl-A2 group, or R4 is taken together with R1f to form a cyclocarbyl which is substituted by a divalent C1 to C10-hydrocarbyl-A2 group or by A2 alone, wherein A2 is X3 or a terminating group selected from —COOH, —CSOH, —COSH, —CSSH, —CONH2, —OH, —SH, —NH2, —COOR7, —CSOR7, —COSR7, —CSSR7, —CON(R7)2, —CONHR7, —OR7, —SR7, —N(R7)2 , —NHR7—CH(OR7)2, —CH(OR7)(SR7), —CH(SR7)2,
• wherein R7 is monovalent C1 to C5-hydrocarbyl or X3, and R8 is C1 to C5-alkylene,
• L is a linker;
• X, X2 and X3 are fluorophores, which may be the same or different;
• Mn+ is a cation having a positive charge of integer n, wherein n is from 1 to 3;
• q is the overall charge of the compound;
• and
• A, B, C and D each independently represent a five-membered nitrogen-containing heterocycle selected from pyrrole, pyrroline or pyrrolidine rings.