Long persistent near infrared luminescence nanoprobes LiGa5O8:Cr3+-PEG-OCH3 for in vivo imaging

•Novel long afterglow phosphors LiGa5O8:Cr3+ were developed.•High bioactive LiGa5O8:Cr3+-PEG-OMe nanoparticles have been developed.•The in vivo distribution of the LGNPs-PEG-5000-OCH3 in the abdomen of mouse can be detected in real time for more than 1 h.

The Cr3+-doped LiGa5O8 nanoparticles (LGNPs) with long-persistent near-infrared phosphorescence were obtained through a sol–gel approach followed by heat treatment at 800 °C in air. The obtained results reveal that the nanoparticles with an average diameter of 100 nm are well defined and have pure structure of LiGa5O8. After illumination for 3 min using a 254 nm UV lamp, the LGNPs exhibit strong near-infrared peak at ca. 720 nm belonging to tissue transparency window which can last for more than 1 h. Via surface modified with PEG-5000-OCH3, the LGNPs-PEG-OCH3 exhibit excellent biocompatibility and low toxicity. Under in vitro pre-excitation using a 254 nm UV lamp for 3 min, the in vivo distribution of the LGNPs-PEG-OCH3 in the abdomen can be detected in real time for more than 1 h. All the results indicate that the LGNPs-PEG-OCH3 can be used as potential nanoprobes to realize in vivo, real time and long time imaging with high sensitivity.