Effect of Dopamine, a Human Love Factor, on the Physio-Chemical Properties of Filamentous Green Alga: Spirogyra

Abstract

Dopamine is a hormone & neurotransmitter, occurring in wide verities of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In chemical structure, it is a phenylethylamine. Dopamine is commonly associated with the pleasure system of the brain, providing the feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate a process to perform certain activities. It is released (particularly in area such as nucleus accbens and ventral tegmental area) by naturally rewarding experiences such as food sex etc. Since conjugating is such type of activity i.e. it is also manifested in lower group of filamentous algae, it was thought that how these groups of algae respond to dopamine. The effect of dopamine was studied on the physico-chemical properties of Spirogyra and it was observed that the changing the colour to yellow is accomplished by the formation of new compounds (??) needs further investigation.