The design and fabrication of novel biodegradable gold nanocomposites hydrogels were developed as antibacterial agent. Biodegradable gold nanocomposite hydrogels were developed by using acrylamide (AM) and wheat protein isolate (WPI). The gold nanoparticles were prepared as a gold colloid by reducing HAuCl4·XH2O with leaf extracts of Azadirachta indica (neem leaf) that formed hydrogel network. The characterization of developed biodegradable hydrogels were studied using fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The biodegradable gold nanoparticle composite hydrogels developed were tested for antibacterial properties. The results indicate that these biodegradable gold nanocomposite hydrogels can be used as potential candidates for antibacterial applications. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.