2021 Volume 62 Issue 3 Pages 122-127
In the basic biology of high school, the observation of phagocytosis by hemocytes can be easily observed by using lepidopteran insects following the method of Sawa and Nakamatsu (2014). However, when we conducted a questionnaire survey of students in the class, several students answered that they could not find phagocytosed blood cells by themselves. In order to provide students with materials and methods that allow them to make their own observations, we focused on materials that emit fluorescence, and examined the types of foreign substances and experimental conditions that are suitable. As a result, the most suitable experimental condition for teaching was the use of yellow fluorescent ink diluted 500 times with physiological saline and a reaction time of 15 minutes. In addition, blood cells that showed phagocytosis to fluorescent ink could be easily observed by installing a flashlight-type UV light in the microscope. It is thought that students can easily observe the blood cells that show phagocytosis by finding fluorescent foreign substances in the dark field using only UV light and then recognizing the outline of blood cells in the light and dark fields using both halogen light and UV light.
