The nanoparticles were fabricated by the complexation of poly(acrylamido phenylboronic acid) (PAAPBA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) via boronic acid-related reactions. The resulting PAAPBA/PVA nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The nanoparticles were sphere with narrow size-distribution, and their sizes were correlated with PVA concentration. These nanoparticles showed significant sensitivity to hydroxyl ion and sugar, which could be adjusted by changing PVA concentrations. Moreover, their sugar sensitivity was dependent on nanoparticle concentrations and sugar configurations. Finally, demonstrated by an in vitro cytotoxicity experiments, the PAAPBA/PVA nanoparticles showed good cytocompatibility.