Modified carbocyanine dyes and their conjugates

1. A compound having the formula:

and its salts, wherein

R 3 comprises an acrylamide, an activated ester of a carboxylic acid, an acyl azide, an acyl nitrile, an aldehyde, an alkyl halide, an amine, an anhydride, an aniline, an aryl halide, an azide, an aziridine, a boronate, a carboxylic acid, a diazoalkane, a haloacetamide, a halotriazine, a hydrazide, an imido ester, an isocyanate, an isothiocyanate, a maleimide, a phosphoramidite, a sulfonyl halide, a thiol group, a protein, avidin or streptavidin, biotin, or tyramide;

R 4 is C 1 -C 22 alkyl or C 7 -C 22 arylalkyl, each alkyl portion of which optionally incorporates up to six hetero atoms, selected from N, O and S, and each alkyl portion of which is optionally substituted one or more times by F, Cl, Br, I, hydroxy, carboxy, sulfo, phosphate, amino, sulfate, phosphonate, cyano, nitro, azido, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, or C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, or C 3 -C 18 trialkylammonium; or

R 3 and R 4 taken in combination complete a five- or six-membered saturated or unsaturated ring that is substituted by a group comprising an acrylamide, an activated ester of a carboxylic acid, an acyl azide, an acyl nitrile, an aldehyde, an alkyl halide, an amine, an anhydride, an aniline, an aryl halide, an azide, an aziridine, a boronate, a carboxylic acid, a diazoalkane, a haloacetamide, a halotriazine, a hydrazide, an imido ester, an isocyanate, an isothiocyanate, a maleimide, a phosphoramidite, a sulfonyl halide, a thiol group, a protein, avidin or streptavidin, biotin, or tyramide;

R 2 is C 1 -C 22 alkyl or C 7 -C 22 arylalkyl, each alkyl portion of which optionally incorporates up to six hetero atoms, selected from N, O and S, and each alkyl portion of which is optionally substituted one or more times by F, Cl, Br, I, hydroxy, carboxy, sulfo, phosphate, amino, sulfate, phosphonate, cyano, nitro, azido, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, or C 3 -C 18 trialkylammonium;

R 6 is H, amino, sulfo, trifluoromethyl, halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, or C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, each alkyl portion of which is optionally further substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of carboxy, sulfo, amino, and hydroxyl;

R 7 is H, amino, sulfo, trifluoromethyl, halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, or C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, each alkyl portion of which is optionally further substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of carboxy, sulfo, amino, and hydroxyl;

R 8 is H, amino, sulfo, trifluoromethyl, halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, or C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, each alkyl portion of which is optionally further substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of carboxy, sulfo, amino, and hydroxyl;

R 9 is H, amino, sulfo, trifluoromethyl, halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, or C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, each alkyl portion of which is optionally further substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of carboxy, sulfo, amino, and hydroxyl;

R 16 is H, amino, sulfo, trifluoromethyl, halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, or C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, each alkyl portion of which is optionally further substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of carboxy, sulfo, amino, and hydroxyl;

R 17 is H, amino, sulfo, trifluoromethyl, halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, or C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, each alkyl portion of which is optionally further substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of carboxy, sulfo, amino, and hydroxyl;

R 18 is H, amino, sulfo, trifluoromethyl, halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, or C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, each alkyl portion of which is optionally further substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of carboxy, sulfo, amino, and hydroxyl; or

a member independently selected from

R 6 in combination with R 7 ;

R 7 in combination with R 8 ;

R 8 in combination with R 9 ;

R 16 in combination with R 17 ; and

R 17 in combination with R 18 ;

together with the atoms to which they are joined, form an aromatic ring comprising —CH or —CR 1 wherein R 1 is amino, sulfo, trifluoromethyl, halogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, or C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, wherein each alkyl portion of which is optionally substituted by substituents selected from the group consisting of carboxy, sulfo, amino, and hydroxyl;

n is 1, 2 or 3;

R 12 is C 1 -C 22 alkyl or C 7 -C 22 arylalkyl, each alkyl portion of which optionally incorporates up to six hetero atoms, selected from the group consisting of N, O and S, and each alkyl portion of which is optionally substituted one or more times by F, Cl, Br, I, hydroxy, carboxy, sulfo, phosphate, amino, sulfate, phosphonate, cyano, nitro, azido, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, or C 3 -C 18 trialkylammonium;

R 13 is C 1 -C 22 alkyl or C 7 -C 22 arylalkyl, each alkyl portion of which optionally incorporates up to six hetero atoms, selected from the group consisting of N, O and S, and each alkyl portion of which is optionally substituted one or more times by substituents selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, I, hydroxy, carboxy, sulfo, phosphate, amino, sulfate, phosphonate, cyano, nitro, azido, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, and C 3 -C 18 trialkylammonium;

R 14 is C 1 -C 22 alkyl or C 7 -C 22 arylalkyl, each alkyl portion of which optionally incorporates up to six hetero atoms, selected from the group consisting of N, O and S, and each alkyl portion of which is optionally substituted one or more times by substituents selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, I, hydroxy, carboxy, sulfo, phosphate, amino, sulfate, phosphonate, cyano, nitro, azido, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, C 1 -C 6 alkylamino, C 2 -C 12 dialkylamino, and C 3 -C 18 trialkylammonium,

or R 13 and R 14 taken in combination complete a five- or six-membered saturated or unsaturated ring that is optionally substituted; and

wherein sulfo is sulfonic acid or sulfonate.

2. The compound according to claim 1 , wherein R 3 comprises a carboxylic acid, a succinimidyl ester of a carboxylic acid, a hydrazide, or a maleimide.

3. The compound according to claim 1 , wherein

R 4 , R 13 and R 14 are each methyl;

R 6 , R 8 , R 9 , R 16 , R 17 and R 18 are each H;

R 7 is sulfo;

R 2 and R 12 are independently methyl or sulfopropyl; and

n is 2.

4. The compound according to claim 1 , wherein

R 4 , R 13 and R 14 are each methyl;

R 6 , R 8 , R 9 , R 16 and R 18 are each H;

R 7 is sulfo;

R 17 is halogen;

R 2 and R 12 are independently methyl or sulfopropyl; and

n is 2.

5. The compound according to claim 1 , wherein

R 4 , R 13 and R 14 are each methyl;

R 8 , R 9 , R 16 and R 18 are each H;

R 6 in combination with R 7 together with the atoms to which they are joined form an aromatic ring comprising —CH or —CR 1 wherein R 1 is sulfo;

R 17 is halogen;

R 2 and R 12 are independently methyl or sulfopropyl; and

n is 2.

6. The compound according to claim 1 , wherein R 3 comprises an acrylamide, an activated ester of a carboxylic acid, an acyl azide, an acyl nitrile, an aldehyde, an alkyl halide, an amine, an anhydride, an aniline, an aryl halide, an azide, an aziridine, a boronate, a carboxylic acid, a diazoalkane, a haloacetamide, a halotriazine, a hydrazide, an imido ester, an isocyanate, an isothiocyanate, a maleimide, a phosphoramidite, a sulfonyl halide, or a thiol group.

7. The compound according to claim 1 , wherein R 3 comprises avidin or streptavidin, biotin, or tyramide.

8. The compound according to claim 1 , wherein R 3 comprises an antibody or fragment thereof, a blood component protein, a blood vessel proliferation inhibition factor, an enzyme, an IgG-binding protein, a fluorescent protein, a growth factor, a metal-binding protein, a phospholipid-binding protein, or a structural protein.