Photoactivable fluorescent dyes for optical microscopy and imaging techniques

Photoactivable rhodamine or carbopyronine derivative compounds of the following general formulae G1-G4 comprising UV light absorbing chromophores which are adapted to eliminate nitrogen or nitrogen(I) oxide and generate fluorescent rhodamine or carbopyronine dyes when subjected to photolysis by irradiation at 254-490 nm

• G1:
• A1=O, A2=N, A3=C;
• G2:
• A1=S, A2=N, A3=C;
• G3:
• A1=O, A2=O, A3=N;
• G4:
• A1=S, A2=O, A3=N;
• wherein R1, R2, (R1-R2), R3, R4, (R3-R4), R5, R6, (R5-R6), R7, R8, (R7-R8)=H, unsubstituted or substituted alkyl (cycloalkyl), unsubstituted or substituted cycloalkenyl, unsubstituted or substituted heterocylic residue, unsubstituted or substituted aryl, unsubstituted or substituted hetaryl;
• and X=O, S, C(CH3)2;
• a chemical bond between C-2 and C-3 is a single or cis-double bond;
• alternatively, C-2 and C-3 is a part of any cyclic system;
• and at least one of the substituents Q and L is independently defined as follows (n=0, 1, 2, 3 or 4):
• H, COOR9, COCH═N═N, CH2COOR9, N(R1 . . . R2), NR10R11, SR12, F, Cl;
• wherein R9=H, unsubstituted or substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, or heterocyclic residue, N-succinimidyl, N-sulfosuccinimidyl, unsubstituted or substituted phenyl, aryl or hetaryl;
• R10, R11=C═S, C═O;
• R12=H, (CH2)mCOOR9 wherein m is an integer from 1 to 11, unsubstituted or substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocyclic residue, aryl or hetaryl.