In this study, monodisperse cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles were prepared successfully with various additions of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) by sonochemical method, in which PVP served as a stabilizer and dispersant. The effects and roles of PVP on the morphology, microstructure and magnetic properties of the obtained CoFe2O4 were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). It was found that PVP-coated behavior showed relatively well dispersion with narrow size distribution. The field-dependent magnetization curves indicated superparamagnetic behavior of PVP-coated CoFe2O4 with moderate saturation magnetization and hydrophilic character at room temperature. More importantly, the in vitro cytotoxicity testing exhibited negligible cytotoxicity of as-prepared PVP-CoFe2O4 even at the concentration as high as 150 mu g/mL after 24 h treatment. Considering the superparamagnetic properties, hydrophilic character and negligible cytotoxicity, the monodisperse CoFe2O4 nanoparticles hold great potential in a variety of biomedical applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.