Aim: Prussian blue nanoparticles (PB NPs) have been reported as excellent antioxidant agents owing to their ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species. However, their poor stability in vivo limits their use in biomedical applications. Materials & methods: In this study, we developed chitosan-templated PB NPs using water-soluble chitosan samples with molecular weights ranging from 3 to 100 kDa, which stabilized the PB NPs and improved their antioxidant activity. Results & conclusion: The chitosan-templated PB NPs coordinated with the optimal chitosan molecular weight had uniform sphere-like particles, improved stability and effective scavenging activity of in vitro reactive oxygen species generation in murine fibroblast cells stimulated by oxidative stress agents without any cytotoxicity, implying that they could be promising antioxidant agents.
Keywords: Prussian blue nanoparticles; antioxidant activity; biocompatibility; chitosan; reactive oxygen species.