Exploring the Activities of Alginate‐Carrageenan@AgNPs Hydrogels Supported by Molecular Docking Studies for Potential Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Agents

ABSTRACT Alginates and kappa‐carrageenan (KC) are natural anionic biopolymers widely utilized in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries for their anticoagulant, immunomodulatory, and antiviral properties. However, unmodified sodium alginate/KC (SA/KC) hydrogels often lack sufficient antimicrobial and antioxidant efficacy, limiting their functionality in advanced biomedical and packaging applications. To overcome these limitations, we designed a multifunctional hydrogel incorporating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into an ascorbic acid‐crosslinked SA/KC matrix. Comprehensive physicochemical, morphological, antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytocompatibility assessments were conducted. The 2% AgNPs composite exhibited pronounced antimicrobial activity against Gram‐positive ( L. monocytogenes, S. aureus ), Gram‐negative ( E. coli, Salmonella sp.), and fungal strain ( Candida albicans ). The 2% AgNPs hydrogel was cytocompatible with normal Vero cells (IC 50 = 599.9 ± 3.47 µg/mL), while the 8% AgNPs variant demonstrated potent antioxidant capacity (IC 50 of 21.77 µg/mL and 33.3 µg/mL via DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively). Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed strong interactions between hydrogel components and key binding site residues, ensuring composite stability. These results support the potential of AgNPs‐enhanced SA/KC hydrogels for antimicrobial wound dressings, bioactive drug delivery matrices, and antioxidant‐active food packaging materials.