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Summary Biogenic magnetic nanoparticles (BMNPs) can be formed by numerous microorganisms. However, the significance of their formation and their possible functions have not been explored in detail. To explore a possible function of Fe3O4 NPs in Burkholderia sp. strain YN01, we investigated their catalytic abilities in the elimination of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Changes in ROS content under different conditions were assessed and showed that low oxygen and high iron concentrations in the growth medium promoted ROS production. However, the levels of ROS gradually decreased with BMNP formation, suggesting that these particles possess intrinsic superoxide dismutase (SOD)‐like activity and catalase (CAT)‐like activity, as proven in this study. To ensure that the observed ROS decrease was not due to antioxidase overexpression caused by the oxidative stress response, SOD and CAT were inhibited in vivo to analyse the ROS variation and BMNP yield under microoxic and high‐iron conditions respectively. The results demonstrated that the formation of these intracellular iron nanoparticles was required for the efficient scavenging of excess ROS, which was dependent on their antioxidase‐like properties. This result reveals a novel physiological function of biogenic intracellular Fe3O4 nanoparticles.

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