EXERCISE NO.

6
MUSCLE TISSUE

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the exercise, the student is able to:

1. Be able to classify, identify and describe the three types of muscle according to the:
- Size, shape and presence or absence of branching
- Number, shape and position of nuclei
- Presence or absence of cross striations
2. Be able to differentiate the 3 types of muscle and state the functions of each type.

INTRODUCTION:
Muscle tissue is primarily composed of individual muscle cells whose principle function is
contraction. This contraction results in the movement of the body, the beating of the heart,
peristaltic and other movements as well as changes in the shape and size of internal organs.
Muscle contraction results from the interaction of the myofilaments, actin (thin filament)
and myosin (thick filament), which occupy the majority of the sarcoplasm of the muscle cell.
Muscle tissue is classified on a structural basis as striated and non-striation.
Striated
At light microscopy level these muscle cells present cross striations, which are produced by
the specific cytoarchitectural arrangement of both the actin and myosin myofilaments. This
type of cells are further be subdivided into three categories based on their location:
Skeletal Muscle
This is the major type of muscle tissue found in the body. It is under voluntary control and
usually attached to bone. Its primary function is movement of the appendicular and axial
skeleton and it also plays an essential role in the maintenance of position and posture of the
body.
Visceral Striated Muscle
This muscle type is restricted to soft tissues such as the tongue, pharynx, diaphragm (lumbar
part) and esophagus (upper two thirds). It is morphologically identical to skeletal muscle and
plays an important part in speech, breathing and swallowing.
Cardiac Muscle
This particular type of striated muscle is found in the walls and septa of the heart as well as
the walls of the large veins that are attached to the heart. Cardiac muscle, unlike skeletal
muscle, is under involuntary control and is responsible for the automatic and rhythmic
contraction of the heart.
Smooth
Smooth muscle cells do not contain any visible cross-striations. This is due to the high lability
of the myosin-containing myofilaments as well as the myofilaments within the sarcoplasm
of smooth muscle cells that do not reach the same level of specific cytoarchitectural
arrangement, as they do in striated muscle. Smooth muscle is under involuntary control and
usually exhibits spontaneous activity in a wave like fashion, passing in a slow, sustained
contraction over the entire muscle. Smooth muscle primarily lines the walls of hollow
viscera, such as the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, and blood vessels.

PRE-LAB ACTIVITY:
1. Wear the appropriate (PPE) personal protective equipment.
2. Clean the working area.
3. Prepare all the materials for the activity.

MATERIALS and EQUIPMENT:

1. Drawing and Coloring materials
2. Histology Laboratory Manual, Atlas and Textbooks
3. Personal protective equipment
4. Microscope
5. Study slides

PROCEDURE:
1. Obtain a microscope and study slide from your instructor. View and study the
specimen with the use of different objectives.
2. Make drawings of the structure(s) you see when using each objective.
3. Use your textbook for your guidance.
4. Record all the gathered information.
5. Answer all questions within a given period of time.
6. Use the back page as needed
LABORATORY ACTIVITIES:

Complete the table accordingly.

Skeletal Muscle Cardiac Muscle Smooth Muscle

Location Located throughout the Cardiac muscle tissue is found in the walls of
body but are mostly only found in your heart hollow organs, such as
attached throughout the the intestines, uterus
skeletal system. and stomach

Cell Shape Long, Cylindrical, and short and narrow, and Spindle shaped
Striated rectangular in shape.

Nucleus Multinucleated Contains a single nucleus Single central nucleus

Contain many
mitochondria

Striations transverse bands (or ppear striated, though Arranged in sheets

striations) of red and they also appear less
white muscle fibers can organized into stripes
be seen in the muscle than skeletal muscle
under a microscope. cells

Branching may branch out, forming branching, irregular smooth muscle fibers
regular and parallel angles known as group in branching
bundles intercalated discs bundles

Control somatic, or voluntary, Cardiac muscle is controlled by the

nervous system controlled by the autonomous nervous
autonomous nervous system
system.

Ability to Skeletal muscles are They’re involuntary Smooth muscles are

Contract voluntary muscles, muscles that your involuntary.
spontaneously meaning you control autonomic nervous
how and when they system controls.
move and work.

Function Are a vital part of the Cardiac muscles are only Smooth muscle makes
musculoskeletal system. in your heart. They help up your organs, blood
They are important in your heart pump blood vessels, digestive tract,
locomotion. throughout your body. skin, and other areas. x

Special
Features
LABORATORY EXERCISES:

1. Make drawings of longitudinal, cross and oblique sections of muscle fibers (striated
skeletal muscle).
a. In cross sections identify peripheral nuclei and myofibrils.
b. In longitudinal sections note long multinucleated fibers, peripheral nuclei and
cross striations of the fiber.
c. Name the bands or cross striations
2. Compare striated skeletal muscle to cardiac muscle.
● Cardiac muscle is similar to striated skeletal muscle, but has central nuclei
and the fibers (cells) are joined together at intercalated discs.
3. Compare striated skeletal muscle to smooth muscle.
● Note fibers in cross sections presenting centrally located nuclei.

● In longitudinal section the fibers are elongated, spindle shaped with central
nuclei.
4. Make drawings at L.P. and H.P.

Skeletal Muscle
Study slide:

Skeletal muscle can be identified because of its alternating bands of light and dark segments
(striations), a feature that is unique to skeletal and cardiac muscle. Unlike cardiac muscle, skeletal
muscle lacks intercalated discs. Instead, skeletal muscle consists of long, cylindrical, fibers with
peripherally located nuclei.

Location Skeletal muscles are located throughout the body but are mostly attached throughout
the skeletal system.

Function They are a vital part of the musculoskeletal system. They are important in locomotion.

Microscopic description Skeletal muscle is comprised from a series of bundles of muscle fibers,
surrounded by protective membranes. This arrangement allows skeletal muscle to contract
quickly and release quickly without subjecting the individual fibers to too much friction.
LPO HPO

Cardiac Muscle
Study slide:

Like skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle is striated. Unlike skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle also has
intercalated discs

Function Cardiac muscle tissue works to keep your heart pumping through involuntary
movements. It does this through specialized cells called pacemaker cells. These control the
contractions of your heart. This results in a wave of contractions of your cardiac muscle, which
creates your heartbeat.

Microscopic description Cardiac muscle cells form a highly branched cellular network in the heart.
They are connected end to end by intercalated disks and are organized into layers of myocardial
tissue that are wrapped around the chambers of the heart.

LPO HPO

Smooth Muscle
Study slide:
Smooth muscle is the only muscle type that is not striated. Fibers are long and spindle-shaped,
with one central nucleus per cell (fiber).

Function Smooth muscle is a type of tissue found in the walls of hollow organs, such as the
intestines, uterus, and stomach. It plays an important role in the ducts of exocrine glands. It fulfills
various tasks such as sealing orifices or the transport of the chyme through wavelike contractions
of the intestinal tube.

Microscopic description Smooth muscle is composed of sheets or strands of smooth muscle cells.
These cells have fibers of actin and myosin which run through the cell and are supported by a
framework of other proteins.

LPO HPO

Draw and label schematic diagram of 3 types muscle showing their differences.
Smooth muscle fibers can easily be confused with collagen fibers of dense irregular
connective tissue in H&E stains. Find some collagen fibers and fibroblasts in this section and
list the differences in structure between the two fiber types. (Describe the differences)

Smooth Muscle Fibers Collagen Fibers

QUESTIONS:

1. What is a sarcomere?
The sarcomere is the main contractile unit of muscle fiber in the skeletal
muscle. The structure of the sarcomere is traditionally described with dark and light
bands visible under the microscope. This banding pattern in sarcomeres is due
mainly to the arrangement of thick and thin myofilaments in each unit. The bundles
of myofilaments are called myofibrils.

2. What is a myofibril? Is it striated?

The myofibrils are bundles of interconnected protein filaments of striated
muscles. The filaments (myofilaments) included in the myofibrils are mainly thick
filaments (myosin), and thin filaments (actin). Its main function is to produce muscle
contraction and relaxation.
3. Why does the whole fiber appear to be cross-striated?
In the 1950s it was discovered that the extraction of myosin from myofibrils
abolished the A bands, and the myofibrils were no longer striated. With the further
extraction of actin, only the Z disks remained. Strangely, the sarcomere length did
not change, and these “ghost” myofibrils still exhibited elastic behavior.

4. Name the connective tissue sheath around:

a) An entire anatomical (skeletal) muscle
Each skeletal muscle has three layers of connective tissue (called mysia) that
enclose it, provide structure to the muscle, and compartmentalize the muscle
fibers within the muscle.
b) A bundle of skeletal muscle fibers
Inside each skeletal muscle, muscle fibers are organized into bundles, called
fascicles, surrounded by a middle layer of connective tissue called the
perimysium. This fascicular organization is common in muscles of the limbs; it
allows the nervous system to trigger a specific movement of a muscle by
activating a subset of muscle fibers within a fascicle of the muscle.
c) Each muscle fiber
Each muscle is wrapped in a sheath of dense, irregular connective tissue
called the epimysium, which allows a muscle to contract and move powerfully
while maintaining its structural integrity. The epimysium also separates muscle
from other tissues and organs in the area, allowing the muscle to move
independently.

5. What is an intercalated disc? Name 2 functions of intercalated disc

Intercalated discs are responsible for connecting and binding cardiac muscle
cells. It is also known as the "lines of Eberth," named after a German pathologist and
bacteriologist Karl Joseph Eberth (1835-1926). The intercalated discs are only found
in cardiac muscles. They form a zigzag interconnection between each cardiac muscle
cell and are observed to cut across the muscle fibers. They are specifically found at
the ends of each cardiac muscle cell, connecting them to the neighboring cells.
 EXERCISE NO. 6
Student Performance Evaluation

DESCRIPTION: SCORE:

The student was able to: 2 0

Student Personal Responsibilities (Pre-Procedure)

1. Prepare himself/herself by wearing necessary protective gears as
outlined by the laboratory.
2. The student cleans the work surface with appropriate disinfectant.

3. The student prepares the material needed.

Student Procedural Skills

1. Properly illustrate the cells under LPO and HPO.

2. Correctly labeled all images on this activity.

3. Correctly answered all the questions given on this activity.

Student Personal Responsibilities (Post-Procedure)

1. The student follows the proper waste disposal and return stock reagents and
instruments borrowed from the Labtech room.
2. Properly clean the instruments used in the exercise.
3. Clean and disinfect the working area.

RATING DESCRIPTIONS:
2 Performed the procedure (or attained results) within standards
0 Performed the procedure below the standard/Did not perform the procedure

REMARKS:

Instructor: ________________________________________________________________
Date: ____________________________________________________________________