Self-immolative probes for enzyme activity detection

A compound selected from:

• wherein Z is a reducible nitrogen-containing group selected from the group consisting of a nitro group (NO2), an azo group (—N═N), a hydrazo group (NH—NH), a nitroso group (NO), and a hydroxylamino group (NHOH), or an amino group with an electron-deficient moiety, or Z is amino group with an electron-deficient moiety selected from the group consisting of carbonyl (C═O), phosphoryl (PO32−) and sulfonyl (SO3−);
• and
• wherein L is nothing when Z is a reducible nitrogen-containing group, or L is an unsubstituted straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl group, a substituted straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl group wherein one or more C, CH or CH2 groups are substituted by an O atom, N atom, S atom, or NH group, an unsubstituted or substituted aromatic group, or a linear or branched sequence of amino acids.