Cheek Cells Under a Microscope

Cheek cells are eukaryotic cells (cells that contain a nucleus and other organelles within enclosed in a membrane) that are easily shed from the mouth lining. It's therefore easy to obtain them for observation.

Some of the main parts of a cell include:

1. Cell membrane (outer boundary of the cell)

2. Cytoplasm (the fluid within the cell)

3. Nucleus (at the center of the cell and controls cell functions)

4. Organelles (e.g. mitochondria-Organelles are cell structures with specific functions)

Using biological stains such as methylene blue, it's possible to clearly observe and differentiate the different parts of a cell. This is because the stain will color some parts of the cell and not others, allowing them to be clearly observed.


Requirements


How to Prepare a Wet Mount of Cheek Cells

Before starting, it's always important to ensure that the working surface is clean and that you are wearing a pair of clean gloves to avoid contamination.

Cheek cells can be easily obtained by gently scraping the inside of the mouth using a clean, sterile cotton swab.

Once the cells have been obtained, the following procedure is used for cheek cell wet mount preparation:

  1. place a drop of physiological saline on a clean microscopic slide (central part of the slide)
  2. smear the cotton swab on to the center (part containing the saline drop) of the clean slide for about 4 seconds to get the cells on to the center of the slide
  3. add a drop of methylene blue solution on to the smear and gently place a cover slip on top (to cover the stain and the cells)
  4. any excess solution can be removed by touching one side of the slide with a paper towel or blotting paper.
  5. place the slide on the microscope for observation using 4 x or 10 x objective to find the cells
  6. once the cells have been found, they can then be viewed at higher magnificatio

* Note - Used cotton swabs and cotton towel should be safely discarded in the trash and not left lying on the working table.