EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF A PLANT SEED BASED CHEMICALLY MODIFIED HYDROGEL AS A PRECURSOR FOR FUTURE DRUG DELIVERY APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Hydrogels derived from natural polymers have emerged as promising biomaterials for biomedical and drug delivery applications owing to their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. In the present study, a chemically modified plant seed-based hydrogel was evaluated for its antioxidant potential using an in vitro free radical scavenging assay. The hydrogel was synthesized through chemical modification to improve its functional and biological properties. Antioxidant activity was assessed by measuring its ability to neutralize free radicals at different concentrations. The results demonstrated a concentration-dependent increase in radical scavenging activity, indicating the presence of effective antioxidant functional groups within the hydrogel network. The enhanced antioxidant performance may be attributed to the synergistic effect of the plant-derived biopolymer and the introduced chemical functionalities. Such antioxidant behavior can protect therapeutic agents from oxidative degradation while reducing oxidative stress at the target site. These findings suggest that the modified hydrogel possesses favorable biological characteristics for pharmaceutical applications. Therefore, the developed plant seed-based hydrogel represents a promising candidate for future antioxidant-assisted drug delivery systems.