Alkyl amine deravites of poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) (PSMA) copolymers exhibited bactericidal activity against Entrococcusfaecalis. Each alkylamine chain reacts with one maleic anhydride group in the PSMA backbone to form an alkylamide linkage and one carboxylic acid group, which confers pH sensitivity to the modified copolymer [1]. Following modification with alkylamines, a number of anhydride groups remain in the PSMA copolymer backbone. These anhydrides may be further modified to introduce additional functionality into the copolymer by conjugating drugs or cell targeting ligands. The hydrophobicity of the PSMA backbone is increased by modification with alkylamine groups and hydrophobicity is increased by increasing the degree of modification with a given alkylamine modifier or by modification with a longer alkylamine chain. The pH-dependent membrane-destabilizing activity of PSMA derivatives can be controlled by varying the length of the alkylamine group, the degree of modification of the copolymer, and the molecular weight of the PSMA copolymer backbone [2].

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