Summary
Highlights
This video will demonstrate how to prepare a wet mount slide of eukaryotic animal cells, focusing on epithelial cells from the inside of the cheek. Safety measures, such as wearing eye protection, are emphasized at the start.
The necessary materials include a microscope slide, a 0.9% sodium chloride solution (isotonic to prevent cell bursting), and a toothpick for specimen collection. The toothpick is gently rubbed inside the cheek to obtain epithelial cells, then swirled in the saline solution on the slide. Used toothpicks are considered biohazards and must be disposed of properly.
Methylene blue stain is used to make the transparent cheek cells visible under the microscope. After staining, a cover slip is applied at a right angle to the slide and dropped to prevent air bubbles. Any excess liquid is blotted with a paper towel, which then also becomes a biohazard and requires proper disposal.
The finished slide is shown, and the video transitions to microscopic views of the cheek cells. At 100x magnification, the cells appear like 'fried eggs' with a blue nucleus. At 400x magnification, the clumping nature of the cells (due to their mucous membrane origin) is more evident. Finally, at 1000x magnification under oil immersion, oral bacteria are visible as small dots on and around the cheek cells.