MUSCULAR TISSUE

Prepared by
Dr. Belqees A. Allaw
2021
 Introduction
Muscle tissue is a specialized tissue found in
animals which functions by contracting, thereby
applying forces to different parts of the body.
It consists of fibres of muscle cells connected
together in sheets and fibers.
vit is categorised anatomically as skeletal,
cardiac, smooth muscles.
vBased on their functional properties:
1- voluntary (skeletal)
2- involuntary (cardiac and smooth muscle).
 General histological features:
1- elongated muscle cells which contain
contractile filaments (myofibrils):
A- actin (thin)
B- myosin (thick) skeletal muscle
2- skeletal and cardiac muscles appear
striated due to the parallel arrangement of
their contractile filaments into repeating
units called sarcomeres.
3- Smooth muscle tissue appears non-
striated because of the less orderly
arrangement of their filaments.
Smooth muscle
General histological features:
4- Muscle cells have a specialized type of
smooth endoplasmic reticulum
called sarcoplasmic reticulum, which stores
calcium ions.
Examples:
1- Skeletal tissue - skeletal muscle.
2- smooth muscle – gastrointestinal tract
3- cardiac muscle – heart.
 Terminology
• Muscle tissue terms often begin with myo-,
mys-, or sarco-.
• The cytoplasm of a muscle cells is referred
to as sarcoplasm.
• The plasma membrane is called
the sarcolemma.
• the endoplasmic reticulum is called
the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
• A muscle fiber = myofiber.
Skeletal muscle
• It is an excitable, contractile tissue attaches
to bones and the orbits through tendons.
Function:
1- responsible for maintaining posture
2- enables movement of the orbits,
appendicular and axial skeletons.
vSkeletal muscle tissue characterized by:
• Extensible tissue can be stretched.
• Elastic tissue is able to return to its original
shape following distortion.
 Skeletal muscle
üFeatures:
• Nuclei are oval-shaped and located at the
periphery of the cell.
• Satellite cells between the external
lamina and sarcolemma that responsible
for the ability of muscle tissue to
regenerate.
 Structure of skeletal muscle
Skeletal muscle has three different connective
tissue layers:
1- epimysium is a dense connective
tissue sheath that enclosed the whole muscle.
2- perimysium are fibrous sheaths that
surround the fascicles that contain blood
vessels, the lymphatics and the nerves.
• The muscle fibres are divided up into bundles
of fibres called 'fascicles’.
Structure of skeletal muscle
3- endomysium is a loose connective
tissue that enclosed each muscle fibre
and these contain capillaries and nerve
fibres.
 Types of skeletal muscle fibers
1- Type I muscle fibers (slow oxidative fibers)
• specialized for aerobic activity (free of O2)
• They are small, contain a high amount of
myoglobin (an iron and oxygen-binding
protein).
• appear red in fresh tissue.
• make up slow-twitch*, fatigue-resistant motor
units.
• Ex: Muscles of the deep back responsible for
maintaining posture

* A muscle twitch is a single contraction of a muscle.

 Types of skeletal muscle fibers
2- Type 2A muscle fibers (fast oxidative glycolytic fibers)
• appear slightly lighter (white) than Type I in fresh
tissues.
• They contain many mitochondria and have a higher
myoglobin content than type 2B fibers.
• high amounts of glycogen*.
• Able to use both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems,
these fibers have a higher oxidative capacity and fatigue
more slowly than type 2B.
• make up fast-twitch, fatigue resistant motor units.
• They are used for activities of very short duration that
require significant power and strength e.g: swimmers.
* multibranched polysaccharide of glucose that serves as a form of
energy storage.
 Types of skeletal muscle fibers
3- Type 2B muscle fibers (fast glycolytic fibers)
• large fibers and appear light pink in fresh
tissues.
• contain fewer mitochondria and a lower
amount of myoglobin.
• contain a high amount of glycogen (primarily
use anaerobic glycolysis as their ATP source)
• make fast-twitch, fatigue prone motor units.
• Examples: in muscles used for short, rapid
bursts of contraction such as
the gastrocnemius, a muscle in the leg that is
used in jumping.
 Sarcomere
• It is the functional unit of a skeletal
muscle cell.
• It’s about 2.5 micrometres in length.
• multiple myosin and actin
filaments oriented in parallel that
overlap in certain places creating several
bands and zones:
1- Z line (disc) forms the boundary of the
sarcomere on either side.
2- H Zone forms the centre of the
sarcomere lacks actin filaments.
 Sarcomere
3- M line runs down the middle of the H
zone perpendicular to the filaments.
4- A band is in the middle and
corresponds to the myosin filaments .
5- two I bands on either side of the A
band and represent the area in which
only actin filaments are present.
 Sarcoplasmic structures
• Sarcolemma - cell plasma
membrane of a muscle cell
• Sarcoplasmic reticulum: a network
of tubules with the terminal
cisterna.
• Terminal cisterna - enlarged regions
on either end of the sarcoplasmic
reticulum (contain Ca++)
 Sarcoplasmic structures
• Transverse-tubules (T-tubules) are
responsible for moving action
potentials to the inner region of the
muscle cell because their walls are
continuous with the sarcolemma.
• Accessory proteins maintain the
speed and alignment of filaments
during the contraction cycle.
Cardiac muscle (myocardium)
• It is a structurally and functionally unique subtype of
muscle tissue located in the heart.
 Components of cardiac muscles
1- Cardiomyocytes: long, branched cells,
shaped like cylinders with one central
elongated nucleus (distinguishing feature from
skeletal muscle).
2- Sarcoplasm include mitochondria, Golgi
apparatus, lipofuscin filled granules (lipid-
containing residues of lysosomal digestion), and glycogen.

Also contain extra large

elongated mitochondria & glycogen granules
located between the myofibrils (Due to the high
energy requirements)
 Components of cardiac muscles
3- Threads of collagenous tissue
fibers together with capillaries to
provide the tissue with support
and a blood supply.
5- intercalated discs appear as
lines that transverse the muscle
fibers perpendicularly which
coincide with Z lines.
Junctions of cardiac cell
There are three types:
A- Adherence junctions are
responsible for actually
connecting the ends of the
myocytes together to form a
fiber.
B- Desmosomes prevent the
separation of myocytes during
contractions by anchoring
intermediate filaments.
Junctions of cardiac cell
C- Communication (gap junctions)
allow cardiac tissue to function as a
syncytium by providing pathways
for various ions to pass between
adjacent cells.
Components of cardiac muscles
6- Sarcomeres are specific portions of
myofibrils located between two Z lines and
are responsible for the striated appearance
of cardiac tissue (thick-myosin & thin-actin
filaments).
• The region formed by the pair of flat
terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic
reticulum and a portion of a T tubule is
called a triad.
Components of cardiac muscles
7- cardiac conducting cells are
responsible for propagation of the
contractions throughout the heart by
forming specific structures like nodes,
bundles, and conducting fibers (SA & AV
nodes).
 Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
• blood flow decreases or stops to a part of the
heart, causing damage to the heart muscle.
• Causes: abnormal deposits of fatty acids,
cholesterol, and various cell debris in coronary
arteries.
• the affected area is repaired and replaced with
fibrous tissue that interrupts the propagation
of the excitatory stimuli and subsequent
contraction of the heart.
• The most common symptom is chest pain or
discomfort, disturbances of cardiac rhythm
(cardiac fibrillation).
Smooth muscle
• Smooth muscle is non-striated and
consists of histologically distinct cells.
• It is capable of synchronous
contractions* that are based on a
similar mechanism to the one in
skeletal muscle.
* The duration of a single twitch in high-speed.
Smooth muscle characteristics
1- the cells appear as elongated spindles,
having tapered ends.
2- the nucleus appears elongated & located
centrally.
3- Sarcoplasm is eosinophilic and contains
anchoring points called focal densities.
 Smooth muscle characteristics
• The contractile proteins are alpha
actin (thick), type II myosin (thin) &
intermediate filaments desmin (they
are not typically seen in routine H&E
staining because they are lost during
tissue processing).
Smooth muscle characteristics
• smooth muscle cells are bound
together, they appear as bundles
called fasciculi.
• Group of fasciculi will form sheets.
• In tubular viscera, like fallopian tubes,
gut, & ureters; fasciculi occur in layers
that facilitates a reduction in the
tube’s lumen, allowing processes
like peristalsis to take place.