Bio-functional PEG-bisacrylamide hydrogels entrapping Eichhornia crassipes : anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities

The rapid proliferation of invasive aquatic plants such as, Eichhornia crassipes, provides biomedical opportunity in valorization of plant biomass into value-added products as an aspect of their environmental control. The current study aimed to optimize leaf extracts of E. crassipes and evaluate their biomedical potential through incorporation into PEG-bisacrylamide hydrogel matrix. The leaf extracts of Eichhornia crassipes optimized at 0.4% biomass, with incubation at 30 °C, 120 rpm for 60 min. The optimized extract of E. crassipes was efficiently entrapped within the polymer network of PEG-bisacrylamide interpenetrating network (IPN), along with functionalization through formaldehyde for improved stability and delivery potential. The hydrogel formulations were characterized through UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, and XRD to assess the structure of the solid polymeric networks formed. SEM and EDX, revealed that the morphology was in the form of a porous structure with evenly distributed elements. The comparative biological tests demonstrated that immobilized hydrogels possess significantly greater antibacterial activity both in gram-positive and gram-negative strains, as well as exhibit significant enhancement in the proliferation of BT-546 breast cancer cells. The functionalized hydrogel had the lowest IC50 value (2.40 µg/mL) than optimal extract and free hydrogel. Antioxidant evaluation by the DPPH assay revealed concentration-dependent radical scavenging, with the functionalized hydrogel achieving ∼34% inhibition at 100% concentration, compared to ∼19% for the free gel and <10% for the extract alone. Collectively, the research highlights that incorporation of E. crassipes into PEG-bisacrylamide hydrogel led to differences in its biological activity. Future research is required to establish cytocompatibility, mode of action, and in vivo efficiency of PEG-bisacrylamide hydrogel for clinical use.