Bioactive Alginate-Polyacrylamide Hydrogels Enriched with Seagrass Extract for Rapid Wound Closure in an In Vivo Model

Biopolymer-based hydrogels represent promising materials for wound management owing to their regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, a seagrass extract-enriched alginate/polyacrylamide hydrogel was fabricated using a free-radical polymerization approach, with ammonium persulfate (APS) and TEMED as the initiator system and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as the covalent cross-linking agent. Physicochemical characterization by FTIR, XRD, FESEM, and thermal analyses provided evidence for incorporation of the seagrass extract within the hydrogel network. Cytocompatibility assessment using normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF) cells demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, with cell viability exceeding 90% at 50µg/mL (p < 0.05). In vivo wound-healing studies in mice revealed accelerated tissue repair, improved collagen formation, and enhanced tissue remodeling in treated wounds. By day 21, the hydrogel-treated group achieved approximately 90% wound closure compared with 68% in untreated controls (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that the seagrass-loaded alginate/PAA hydrogel is a biocompatible and potential wound dressing candidate with significant potential for regenerative medicine applications.