HUMAN HISTOLOGY (LABORATORY)
LESSON 5: MUSCLE TISSUE
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2nd SEMESTER I S.Y. 2021-2022
TRANCRIBED BY: JEAN HERSHEY REYES
Pre-Lab Discussion
 Muscle tissues are composed of cell differentiated for optimal
use of the universal cell property termed contractility
 Three types of muscles can be distinguished on the basis of
morphological and functional characteristics and structure of
each type is adapted to its physiologic role.
o Skeletal muscle is composed of bundles, long,
cylindrical, multinucleated cells that show cross-
striations.
o Cardiac Muscle also has cross-striations and is
composed of elongated, branched individual cells that
are parallel to each other.
o Smooth muscle consists of a collection of fusiform
cells that do not show striations
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Organization of a Skeletal Muscle
 Epimysium – it is a thick dense connective tissue that surrounds
the entire skeletal muscle.
 Fascicle – bundle of skeletal muscle that is surrounded by
perimysium.
 Perimysium – thin but dense connective tissue that wraps
fascicles.
 Muscle fiber – elongated, multinuclear cells composed of several
myofibrils.
 Endomysium – delicate connective tissue that surrounds muscle
fiber.
 Myofibril – long, cylindrical filament bundles in the sarcoplasm of
myocytes.
 Micrograph shows a cross section of striated muscle
demonstrating connective tissue and cell nuclei.
 The endomysium (En) surrounds individual muscle, and
perimysium (P) encloses a group of muscle fibers comprising
a fascicle. A thick epimysium (E) surrounds the entire muscle
 Parts of three muscle fibers are separated by very small
amounts of endomysium.
 One fibroblast nucleus (F) is shown.
 Muscle nuclei (N) are found against the sarcolemma.
 Along each fiber thousands of dark staining A bands alternate
with lighter I bands
Cardiac Muscle
 Found in the heart.
 Cardiac muscle fibers are striated, but they consist of individual
cylindrical cells, each containing one (or two) central nuclei and
linked by adherent and gap junctions at prominent Intercalated
discs.
  Section of smooth muscle in bladder shows fibers in cross
section (XS) and longitudinal section (LS) with the same
fascicle.

 There is much collagen in the branching perimysium (P), but

very little evidence of endomysium is apparent.

 Longitudinal sections of cardiac muscle at the light microscope

level show nuclei (N) in the center of the muscle fibers and
widely spaced intercalated discs (I) that cross the fibers.

 The occasional intercalated discs should not be confused with

the repetitive, much more closely spaced striations (S), which
are similar to those of skeletal muscle but less well-organized.
Nuclei of fibroblasts in endomysium are also present.

Smooth Muscle

 It is specialized for slow, steady contraction and is controlled by

a variety of involuntary mechanisms.

 Fibers of smooth muscle (also called visceral muscle) are

elongated, tapering, and nonstriated cells, each of which is
enclosed by a thin basal lamina and a fine network of reticular
fibers, the endomysium.

 In a cross section of smooth muscle in the wall of the small

intestine, cells of the inner circular (IC) layer are cut lengthwise
and cells of the outer longitudinal layer (OL) are cut
transversely.

 Only some nuclei (arrows) of the latter cells are in the plane of
section, so that many cells appear to be devoid of nuclei

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