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.