This work is supported by the Horizon 2020 BIORIMA project and the Hong Kong Research Grant Council E-HKUST601/17 and in part by the Project of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone (HZQB-KCZYB-2020083). Dr. B.H. Zhong is a recipient of the HKJEBN Scholarship and his stay at INA is supported by the HKUST Overseas Research Award. The team is also grateful for the funding from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) through projects PI16/00496, PI19/00349, the Spanish Ministerio Ciencia e innovaccion (MICINN) through project DTS19/00033, co-funded by ERDF/ESF, “Investing in Your Future”. These results are part of the project PID2019-106947RB-C21 financed by MCIN/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033. The authors also thank the CSIC (through the project PIE 201960E119) and the Regional Government of Aragón (DGA) for financial support through grant E28_20R. Finally, the authors acknowledge the support of the Central Facilities of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology including the Material Characterization and Preparation Facility (MCPF), the Environmental Central Facility (ENVF), and the Animal and Plant Care Facility (APCF) and the use of Servicio General de Apoyo a la Investigación-SAI of the University of Zaragoza, and the support from the Advanced Microscopy Laboratory (LMA) of the University of Zaragoza.

Iron nanoparticles encapsulated within graphene shells (Fe@C) were examined for cellular internalization, subcellular behavior, biocompatibility, and influence on cell viability and proliferation. Studies on human lung (adenocarcinoma human alveolar basal epithelial) and skin (epidermoid carcinoma) cells indicate Fe@C is less toxic and more biocompatible than the magnetite nanoparticles coated by an amorphous carbon (Fe3O4@C). Fe3O4@C exhibited more signs of degradation than Fe@C when exposed to murine macrophages (mouse monocyte-macrophages J774). Unlike Fe3O4@C, Fe@C has a high drug loading capacity (0.18 g/g) for ferulic acid, an active pharmaceutical ingredient found in the traditional Chinese herb Angelica sinensis and releases the drug at a constant dosing rate of 8.75 mg/g/day over 30 days. Ferulic acid released by Fe@C injected subcutaneously in diabetic BALB/c mice is effective in lowering the blood glucose level.

Peer reviewed