Magnetic Iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) NP_s are a type of biocompatible nanomaterials that have been widely used for bioimaging, biodiagnostic,and therapeutic purposes. It has been reported that Fe₃O₄ NP_s possess intrinsic enzyme-like activities.Recently, Yi Zhang, Nan Chen and Chunhai Fan from Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, CAS and Haiyun Song from Shanghai Institute of biological science, CAS explored the effects of Fe₃O₄ NP_s on intracellular ROS levels and their biological consequences with severalcell or animal models. This work was published in Advanced Materials 2015(DOI: 10.1002/adma.201503893).

They firstly demonstrated that Fe₃O₄ NP_s have high biocompatibility with cultured cell lines and Drosophila.Intracellular Fe₃O₄ NP_s protect cells from H₂O₂ induced oxidativestress and apoptosis. In addition, they exert neuroprotectiveroles in a PD cell model, diminishingα-Synuclein accumulationand Caspase-3 activation. More significantly, dietaryFe₃O₄ NP_s reduce ROS levels in aged Drosophila, enhancetheir climbing ability and prolong their life span. Finally, they found that dietary Fe₃O₄ NP_s alleviate neurodegeneration andincrease longevity in a Drosophila AD model. Taken together, these results suggest that Fe₃O₄ NP_s possess catalase-like activityin vivo, which can reduce intracellular oxidative stress, delay animal aging, and protect against neurodegeneration.