Preparation of Poly(MTZ)(n)–(DMAEMA)(m) Micelles and Study on Their Antibacterial Property

[Image: see text] Bacterial infections are the most common type of clinical infection. The abuse of clinical antibiotics has led to the frequent appearance of drug-resistant strains and even some super bacteria. In this study, we synthesized Poly(MTZ)(n)–(DMAEMA)(m) polymer micelles with cations on the surface. The synthesis of this novel polymer comes in two steps. First, Poly(MTZ)(n) was synthesized with metronidazole (MTZ) referred as the macromolecular chain transfer agent and v-501 as the initiator for initiating the polymerization of 4-cyanopentanoic acid dithiobenzoate. Then, novel polymer micelles were synthesized with Poly(MTZ)(n) referred as the macromolecular chain transfer agent and v-501 as the initiator for initiating the polymerization of the monomer 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate, which could adsorb to the negatively charged bacterial surface via electrostatic interaction and enhance bactericidal activity. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the micelles could be accurately targeted to the surface of bacteria, and the zone of inhibition assay confirmed that the micelles could enhance the sensitivity of bacteria to drugs. Hence, Poly(MTZ)(n)–(DMAEMA)(m) polymer micelles will have potential use for the clinical treatment of anaerobic infections in the future.