Names: Joshua Carvajal Date: January 20, 2020

Clint Danniel N. Guarin

Ginafer S. Enomar

Activity 2: Observing Cells and Tissues

I. Introduction
The cell is the basic biological unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life,
often dubbed as the “building blocks of life”. The activity of an organism depends on the collective
activities of its cells. According to the principle of complementarity, the biochemical activities of cells
are dictated by their shape or form and by the relative number of their specific sub-cellular structures.
Ultimately speaking, the continuity of life has a cellular basis. For their structure, cells have three main
regions: the nucleus, the cytoplasm, and the plasma membrane, and within these regions are sub-cellular
organelles, which all have unique metabolic contributions for the cell. The Golgi apparatus, for instance,
is responsible for packaging, modifying, and segregating proteins for secretion from the cell. Tissues are
made up of similar groups of cells that have four primary types: epithelium (for covering), connective
(for support), muscular (for movement), and nervous (for control) tissues.
As mentioned earlier, cells come in different shapes and sizes, depending on their assigned
function and the types of organisms that harbor those cells. There are approximately 37.2 trillion cells in
the average human body, which explains why these cells are incredibly small, completely “invisible” to
the naked eye. A microscope proves to be a necessary tool when observing cells. Allowing for magnified
images of these curious biological units, researchers can dig deeper into the mysteries of the cell. The
activities below will explore certain types of cells and observe them under the microscope.

II. Objectives
At the end of the experiment, the experimenter should be able to:
1. Differentiate the cells observed from the microscope to one another.
2. Practice the proper way on how to use the blade to make the specimen thin.
3. Examine the frog’s cell, cheek cell, chicken cell, and human red blood cell under the compound
microscope.

III. Materials
Glass slides for: Compound microscope
 Human red blood cells Glass slide
 Cheek cells Cover slip
 Frog heart, liver, kidney, Dropper
striated muscle l.s., red blood cells Petri dish
Chicken skin Scalpel or any blade
Chicken bone Toothpick
Chicken fat Lancet
5% Acetic acid
Distilled water
 Methylene blue

IV. Procedures
A. Observing Human Red Blood Cell
1. A drop of blood sample was collected from the subject using a lancet.
2. The blood sample was put on the glass slide and covered with the cover slip.
3. The red blood cells’ shape and behavior were viewed under the microscope.
4. Observations were recorded.
B. Observing Frog’s Cells
1. The following prepared slides were obtained:
 Frog heart
 Frog liver
 Frog kidney
 Frog striated muscle l.s.
 Frog red blood cells
2. Each of the prepared slides were viewed under the microscope.
3. Observations were recorded.
C. Observing Cheek Cells
1. The subject’s inner cheek was carefully scraped using a toothpick.
2. The sample collected was transferred from the toothpick to the glass slide.
3. A drop of methylene blue was mix unto the sample until the coloration was evenly dispersed.
4. Excess methylene blue was washed using distilled water off the sample, and then the cover
slip was put on.
5. The cheek cells were viewed under the microscope.
6. Observations were recorded.
D. Observing Chicken Cells
1. Using a scalpel, a very thin section of chicken skin was collected.
2. The sample was placed on the glass slide and covered with the covered slip.
3. The chicken cells were viewed under the microscope.
4. Observations were recorded.
E. Observing Chicken Bone
1. A cut of chicken bone was soaked on vinegar for 24 hours.
2. After 24 hours, the chicken bone was removed from the beaker with vinegar.
3. A very thin section of the bone sample was collected.
4. The sample was put on the glass slide, and covered with the cover slip.
5. The chicken bone was viewed under the microscope.
6. Observations were recorded.
F. Observing Chicken Fat
1. A thin section of chicken fat was collected.
2. The sample was placed on the glass slide and covered with the cover slip.
3. The chicken fat was viewed under the microscope.
 4. Observations were recorded.

V. Results and Discussion

A. Observing Human Red Blood Cell
Under the microscope, the human red blood cells are seen to be clustered, forming motile wormlike
structures (the blood cells are still living). The plasma is the liquid matrix of the blood, and is
colorless indeed. The red blood cells give a red color to blood. In the sea of red blood cells, white
blood cells are interspersed which help fight infection. The platelets are red blood cell pieces, and
act within coagulation. A mature red blood cells is small, round, and biconcave. The cell is flexible
and assumes a bell shape as it passes through extremely small blood vessels.

B. Observing Frog’s Cells

Heart
When viewed under the microscope, parts of the chicken heart can be seen, including the
myofibrils, nuclei, capillaries, and intercalated discs. The myofibrils were striated in a transverse
fashion, and each cell harbors a nucleus centrally. The intercalated discs mark the boundaries
between cells, and are major portals for cardiac cell-to-cell communication, which is required for
coordinated contraction and maintenance of circulation.
Liver
Under the microscope, prominent chicken liver parts like the hepatocytes, sinusoid, endothelial
cells, and portal veins can be seen. The structure unit of the liver, the lobule, can also be seen.
They serve as connective tissue sheets that divide the liver. Sinusoids are vascular channels lined
with endothelial cells. Hepatocytes are the cells of the main parenchymal tissue of the liver.
Kidney
When viewed under the microscope, the glomerulus, the capsular spaces, convoluted tubules,
Bowman’s capsules, and other parts of the chicken kidney can be seen. Kidney cells do a number
of important bodily functions for maintaining homeostasis, such as filtration of liquid wastes and
blood back to the heart, and also produces essential hormones.
Striated Muscle l.s.
As the name suggests, the striated muscle when viewed under the microscope shows striations, or
stripes, and is quite similar to that of the heart, since cardiac muscle is also striated. Prominent
parts like the muscle fibers can be seen, which are in turn manifested by sarcomeres, the repeating
functional units of muscle that give it its striated appearance under the microscope. It can also be
observed that these spindle-shaped cells have elongated nuclei. Expectedly, these muscle tissues
contract whenever the chicken produces movement.
Red Blood Cell
Like traditional mammalian red blood cells, amphibian forms such as frogs include a nucleus of
DNA carrying that is noticeable in the middle of the cell. The amphibians ' circulatory system is
rather peculiar, with three lungs, two atria and a single ventricle in their cores. Frog erythrocytes
form a more elliptical shape. They are also often larger than erythrocytes and have a nucleus, which
can be seen as a dark region or regions within the cell.
 C. Observing Cheek Cells
DNA is located in the nucleus at the central part of the cheek cell. The nucleus gets darkened when
a reduction of methylene blue is added, which helps it stick out and can be seen plainly under the
microscope. Even though the whole cell is light blue in color, the nucleus at the middle of the cell
is much deeper, enabling it to be recognized under a microscope.

D. Observing Chicken Cells

The data collected for the chicken cells were not correct, because even with the methylene blue,
the structure of the chicken cells, and even the presence of a nucleus could not be indicated clearly.
According to an image of a chicken skin obtained from the internet, parts like the Ridges of
Malpighian layer, dermal pulp, dermis, and others can be seen when viewing the chicken under
the microscope.

E. Observing Chicken Bone

After the chicken bone was soaked in vinegar, the chicken bone became very limp, rendering it
practically useless on its primary functions. With the presence of the strong acid, the calcium
(responsible for bone hardness) inside the bone was dissolved. The melting of the bone was
prevented by other minerals like the potassium and collagen fibers. Under the microscope, it can
be seen that the chicken bone has a faint and smooth texture to it, and the primary bone parts like
the Haversian canal, lacunae, canaliculi, and others could no longer be seen (or perhaps the
microscope was no longer able to view them, due to the vinegar-soaking process of the chicken
bone).

F. Observing Chicken Fat

When viewed under the microscope, it can be observed that there is a presence of fat cells, or
adipocytes. They are separated by their cell membranes, and appear to be clear as a result of te
extraction of these fats from the chicken. These adipocytes collect and store fat in the form of
triglycerides for energy metabolism. Other than that, adipocytes also provides insulation for
maintaining body temperature and cushioning against damage to body organs. It can’t clearly be
seen, but the nucleus of the fat cell is pushed due to the fat reservoir that covers up most of the
cell’s volume. Besides the nucleus, other organelles like the mitochondria and rough endoplasmic
reticulum are also pushed aside by the fat reservoir, but this detail also can’t be clearly seen in the
data collected.

VI. Questions with Answers

Questions:
1. What is the difference between human and blood cells?
Human cells provide structure for the body, take in nutrients from food, convert those nutrients
into energy, and carry out specialized functions depending on their shape or form and by the
relative number of their specific sub-cellular structures. They contain organelles that contribute to
the metabolic activities of the cell, such as the nucleus, cytoplasm, plasma membrane, smooth
and rough endoplasmic reticula. On the other hand, blood cells have three major types: the red
 blood cells, which ferry oxygen in the blood to all the body cells; the white blood cells, which
serve as the immune system of the blood; and the platelets, which are primarily involved in
clotting to prevent further bleeding.

2. Why are cells so small? What limits the size of the cells?
Cells are small because if the cell grows beyond a certain limit, not enough material will be able
to cross the plasma membrane fast enough to accommodate the increased cellular volume.
When this happens, the cell must divide into smaller cells with favorable surface area/volume
ratios, otherwise it will cease to function. In other words, a smaller cell allows for easier transport
of materials and promotes optimal usage of consumed nutrients, while a bigger cell will require a
larger amount of these materials to accommodate for its size and metabolic functions. The size of
the cells is primarily limited by its surface are to volume ratio. A cell is limited in a small size
for more effective transportation of materials, as well as better excretion of waste products.

VII. Conclusion
Human blood appears to be a red liquid to the naked eye but we can see that it contains four distinct
elements under a microscope: plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The blood of a frog
is similar to that of humans in some ways but different in others. In the frog, the red blood cells are slightly
different - they have a nucleus. Unlike ours, these cells are different. The white blood cells of a frog are
very similar to ours, and serve the same function. Try seeking out the platelets. Can't find anything? There
is none! Frog's not producing fragments like we are doing. 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. The various parts of a cell can be easily identified and distinguished by the use of biological stains
such as methylene blue. This is because some areas of the cell can be tainted by the dye, enabling direct
identification of them. Chicken cells has its similarities and differences from human cells and tissues.
Furthermore, learning about the cells and tissues of different organisms and comparing them to
that of human cells and tissues can be an enlightening process especially for medical student. In order to
acquire these knowledges, in depth experiments are significant. By learning about cells and how they
function, you can learn about all types of living things. Cells can be used to find diseases and mutations,
which then can be used to find a treatment for those diseases and mutations. Cells can also be used to
catch criminals, and solve crime/unsolved cases.
VIII. Documentation

Human Red Blood Frog’s Blood HPO –

Cells HPO – 400x 400x

Frog’s Heart LPO – Frog’s Kidney HPO

100x – 400x

Frog’s Liver HPO – Frog’s Muscle

400x Straited l.s HPO –

Cheek Cells HPO – Chicken Skin LPO – Chicken Skin

400x 100x (Data insufficient) (Image taken from the
Internet)

Cheek Fat HPO – Chicken Bone HPO –

400x 400x
IX. References
Retrieved from “Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology, Eleventh Edition” by Elaine Marieb
Retrieved from https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/basics/cell
Retrieved from https://www.ouhsc.edu/platelets/platelets/platelets%20intro.html
Retrieved from www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc//ahp/LAD/C5/C5_ProbSize.html
Retrieved from https://www.ck12.org/book/ck-12-biology-advanced-concepts/section/3.5/
Retrieved from “Cells” by N.J Berrill