U N I T II

Textbook of Medical Physiology, 11th Edition

Chapter 8:
Contraction and Excitation of Smooth Muscle by Dr. Mudassar Ali Roomi (MBBS, M. Phil.)

GUYTON & HALL

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CLASSIFICATION OF THE MUSCULAR TISSUE

Non-striated muscle (smooth muscle) Striated muscle (cardiac, skeletal muscle)

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SMOOTH MUSCLE
No cross striations Location: in the walls of blood vessels, hollow viscera Function: controls the size of the lumen. Shape: each fiber is fusiform in shape. Diameter: 3-8 um Length: 15-200 um No well developed sarcotubular system. Caveolae are present. Nucleus: single, rod- shaped nucleus located in the centre of each cell.
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Cytoplasm of smooth muscle fiber

E/M shows that actin and myosin are present in the cytoplasm. Actin: diamter is 5-7 nm Myosin: diameter 12-16 nm actin/myosin ratio: 15/1 Desmin intermediate filaments are also present in the cytoplasm. (dia= 10 nm) Dense bodies: intermediate filaments cross over one another to form darkly staining patches.

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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

Copyright 2006 by Elsevier, Inc.

MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

Location Type of NM Junctions Arrangement Control Membrane potential.

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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

1:

LOCATION:
MULTIUNIT: Ciliary muscle of eye, Iris of eye and pilo-erector muscle, vas deference

UNITARY: Wall of GIT, ureter, bile duct, uterus and large blood vessels.

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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

2: ARRANGEMENT:
UNITARY: Sheaths or bundles with gap junctions in between, so act as single unit. If one part is excited whole is excited.(functinal syncytium)
MULTIUNIT: Individual muscle fibers. Each fiber has insulating outer membrane with glycoprotein and collagen consistency. Independently each muscle fiber is excited.

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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

3: TYPE OF NM JUNCTION: UNITARY: Diffuse junction. No contact with nerve fiber. Neurotransmitter is released near the fiber. MULTIUNIT: Contact junction. One of the autonomic nerves form junction with muscle fiber and releases neurotransmitter like norepinephrine
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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

4: CONTROL:
UNITARY:
Mainly non-nervous stimuli (hormonal stimuli like oxytocin and serotonin). Nervous stimuli are less important Show spontaneous contractions.
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MULTIUNIT:
Mainly through nervous stimuli. Does not show spontaneous contraction

MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

5: MEMBRANE POTENTIAL: UNITARY: 3 types:
Spike potential , Action potential with Plateau and spikes superimposed on Slow wave.

Types of potential in unitary smooth muscles

MULTIUNIT:
action potential is not produced. Only localized depolarization in response to excitation.
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EXCITATIONCONTRACTION COUPLING OF SMOOTH MUSCLE FIBERS

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EXCITATION-CONTRACTION COUPLING OF SMOOTH MUSCLE FIBERS

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Contraction-Relaxation myosin based regulation

Ca2+

Ca2+ Relaxation
calmodulin

MLC inactive
(dephosphorylated)

MLCP MLC active

(phosphorylated)

MLCK

Contraction
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MLCK, myosin light chain kinase MLCP, myosin light chain phosphatase

Mechanisms That Increase Intracellular Ca2+ Concentration in Smooth Muscle

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Copyright 2006 by Elsevier, Inc.

Copyright 2006 by Elsevier, Inc.

Copyright 2006 by Elsevier, Inc.