en Life Science Life Science مقاله پژوهشی Original Research Article <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b><span style="background:#2d7f8f"><span style="color:white">Background & Objective:</span></span>&nbsp;</b><span style="color:black">Polyacrylic acid can serve as an effective drug-delivery platform when conjugated with pharmaceutical compounds via a reliable spacer. This study aimed to synthesize and characterize benzidine-linked polyacrylic acid drug conjugates and evaluate their antimicrobial activity.</span><br> <b><span style="background:#2d7f8f"><span style="color:white"><span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt">&nbsp;Materials & Methods:</span></span></span></b> <span style="color:black"><span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt">Conjugates were prepared by reacting polyacrylic acid with benzidine, followed by attachment of carboxylic-acid-containing drugs. The resulting polymers were characterized for structural and physicochemical properties. Antibacterial activity against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> was assessed.</span></span><br> <b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="background:#2d7f8f"><span style="color:white">Results: </span></span></span>&nbsp;</b><span style="color:black"><span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt">FTIR and &sup1;HNMR confirmed successful conjugation. Polymers showed pH-dependent drug-release behavior and varying molecular weights. AB1 and AB6 exhibited strong inhibition against <i>S. aureus</i> (20 and 18 mm) and moderate activity against <i>E. coli</i>, while AB2 demonstrated the highest effect against <i>E. coli</i> (28 mm). Most conjugates displayed enhanced antibacterial activity compared to the free drugs.</span></span><br> <b><span style="background:#2d7f8f"><span style="color:white">Conclusion: </span></span>&nbsp;</b><span style="color:black">Spacer-mediated polyacrylic acid drug conjugates effectively modulate drug release and enhance antibacterial performance, highlighting their potential as controlled drug-delivery systems.</span></span></span></p> Polyacrylic Acid, Carboxylic Acid Pharmaceuticals, Biological Activity, Antibacterial, Drug Release 15 22 http://journal.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-7464-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Amnah R. Kadhim sci764.amena.razak@student.uobabylon.edu.iq 5200319475328460088075 5200319475328460088075 No Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Babylon, Babylon, Iraq Saadon A. Aowda Sci.saadon.abdulla@uobabylon.edu.iq 5200319475328460088076 5200319475328460088076 No Education College, Al-Zahrawi University, Babylon, Iraq Mohanad M. Kareem sci.mohanad.mousa@uobabylon.edu.iq 5200319475328460088077 5200319475328460088077 Yes Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Babylon, Babylon, Iraq