Method for detecting cholesterol deposited in bodies of mammals

Claim 1

A method for detecting cholesterol which is deposited in the bodies of mammals comprising administering to a host an effective amount of a photosensitizer of at least one member selected from the group consisting of tetrapyrrole carboxylic acids having at least one carboxyl group represented by the following general formula (I), corresponding di- or tetrahydropyrrole carboxylic acids, mono-, di- or polyamides of said tetrapyrrole carboxylic acids with amino-mono- or dicarboxylic acids, and salts of the above compounds; applying light of sufficient wavelength to the area of said mammal to be examined in order to cause fluorescence of said photosensitizer; and observing the fluorescence emitted from the area in which cholesterol is deposited: ##STR49## wherein R 1 is methyl, ##STR50## R 2 is H, vinyl, ethyl, ##STR51## acetyl, ##STR52## CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 H or ═CHCHO; R 3 is methyl, ##STR53## R 4 is H, vinyl, ethyl, ##STR54## CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 H ═CHCHO or ##STR55## R 5 is methyl; R 6 is H, CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 H, CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 R or CO 2 H; R 7 is CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 H, CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 R or ##STR56## R 8 is methyl or ##STR57## R 9 is H, COOH, CH 2 COOH or methyl; provided that when R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 7 and R 8 represents two substituents or are divalent and attached to the same carbon, the respective pyrrole ring to which attached is a dihydropyrrole; R is lower alkyl or benzyl; R 6 and R 9 , taken together are ##STR58## with the proviso that at least one of R 1 -R 9 is a free carboxyl group.

Claim 2

A method for detecting cholesterol which is deposited in the bodies of mammals comprising administering to a host an effective amount of a photosensitizer of at least one member selected from the group consisting of tetrapyrrole carboxylic acids having at least one carboxyl group represented by the following general formula (I), corresponding di- or tetrahydropyrrole carboxylic acids, mono-, di- or polyamides of said tetrapyrrole carboxylic acids with amino-mono- or dicarboxylic acids, and salts of the above compounds; applying light of sufficient wavelength to the area of said mammal to be examined in order to cause fluorescence of said photosensitizer; and observing the fluorescence emitted from the area in which cholesterol is deposited: ##STR49## wherein R 1 is methyl, ##STR50## R 2 is H, vinyl, ethyl, ##STR51## acetyl, ##STR52## CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 H or ═CHCHO; R 3 is methyl, ##STR53## R 4 is H, vinyl, ethyl, ##STR54## CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 H ═CHCHO or ##STR55## R 5 is methyl; R 6 is H, CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 H, CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 R or CO 2 H; R 7 is CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 H, CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 R or ##STR56## R 8 is methyl or ##STR57## R 9 is H, COOH, CH 2 COOH or methyl; provided that when R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 7 and R 8 represents two substituents or are divalent and attached to the same carbon, the respective pyrrole ring to which attached is a dihydropyrrole; R is lower alkyl or benzyl; R 6 and R 9 , taken together are ##STR58## with the proviso that at least one of R 1 -R 9 is a free carboxyl group.