Muscle Tissues
• highly cellular
• more than 50% of body
Weight is muscle!
• Well-vascularised to provide sufficient 02, calcium and nutrients and to
remove waste products.
Muscle
Only body tissue able to contract
create movement by flexing and extending joints
Body energy converters (many muscle cells contain many mitochondria)
Muscle tissue properties
Contractility
Ability of a muscle to shorten forcibly when adequately stimulated
Excitability
Irritability
Ability to receive & respond to a stimulus
Generation of electrical impulse
Extensibility
Ability of a muscle to be stretched or extended even beyond its
resting length when relaxed
Elasticity
Ability of a muscle fiber to recoil & resume its resting length after
being stretched
Muscle tissue functions
Movement
Posture
Joint stabilization
Heat generation
Muscle tissue terminology
Fiber – skeletal, cardiac & smooth muscle cell
Myofilaments
Actin – thin filaments
Myosin – thick filaments
Sarcolemma – plasma membrane
Sarcoplasm – cytoplasm
The origin of a muscle is (usually) its proximal attachment this is generally
the bone that remains still when the muscle contracts giving it an anchor to
pull against.
The insertion is (usually) the distal attachment site, generally on the bone
that is moved when the muscle contracts.
Muscle tissue types
three types
differ in structure
body location,
function,
means of activation (contraction)
Skeletal
Striated, voluntary
Cardiac
Heart, striated, involuntary
Smooth
Nonstriated, involuntary
Skeletal muscle
o Called skeletal muscle because it moves the bones- skeleton.
o Voluntary – under conscious control.
o Striated – stripes seen on microscopic examination
o Fine coordinated movement - ex: writing
o Subconscious control – posture and breathing (diaphragm)
Each skeletal muscle is a discrete organ
It consists of several kinds of tissues
• muscle fibers predominate
• blood vessels
• nerve fibers
• connective tissue
Contracts rapidly
tires easily
must rest after short periods of activity
Function - responsible for overall body mobility
Skeletal muscle fiber
Cylindrical fibres
10-100 mm diameter
Varied length – up to entire muscle upto 35cm
Formed by cell fusion
Multinucleated
Peripheral nucleus
Striated
Muscle fibers are wrapped & held together by several different layers
Three layers – external to internal
Epimysium – surrounds entire muscle/organ
Dense irregular connective tissue.
Perimysium – surrounds muscle fascicle-bundles of muscle fibres
Endomysium – surrounds individual muscle fiber consists of connective tissue
& mostly reticular fibers
Connective Tissue functions
o support each cell
o reinforce muscle as a whole
o contribute to elasticity of tissue
Attachments
Direct (fleshy)
• Epimysium of muscle is fused to periosteum of a bone or perichondrium of a
cartilage
Indirect
• Muscle’s connective tissue wrapping extend beyond muscle ropelike tendon
and connects muscle to bone
• Sheetlike aponeurosis connects muscle to other muscles or to bones
• Tendon or aponeurosis anchors the muscle to connective tissue covering bone
or cartilage or fascia of other muscles
Microscopic structure
The cells are seen to be roughly cylindrical in shape, lying parallel to one
another with a distinctive banded appearance consisting of alternate dark
and light stripes.
Each cell has several nuclei (because the cells are so large) which are
situated just under the cell membrane (the sarcolemma).
The cytoplasm of muscle cells also called Sarcoplasm, is packed with tiny
filaments running longitudinally along the length of the muscle, these are
the contractile filaments
There are also many mitochondria, essential for producing ATP from
glucose and oxygen to power the contractile mechanism.
Also present is a specialised oxygen binding substance called myoglobin,
which is similar to the hemoglobin of red blood cells and stores oxygen
within the muscle.
In addition there are extensive intracellular stores of calcium, which is
released into the Sarcoplasm for the contractile activity of the
Myofilaments
There are two types of contractile myofilament within the muscle fibre,
called thick and thin arranged in repeating units called sarcomeres.
The thick filaments which are made of a protein called myosin, correspond
to the dark bands seen under the microscope.
The thin filaments are made of a protein called actin. Where only these are
present, the bands are lighter in appearance.
Each sarcomere is bounded at each end by a dense stripe called the Z –
line, to which the myosin fibres are attached and lying in the middle of the
sarcomere are the actin filaments, overlapping with the myosin.
Microscopic Anatomy of a Skeletal Muscle Fiber
Myofibril
• Rod like bundle of contractile filaments (sarcomeres)
• ~hundreds to thousands in a single muscle fiber
• make up 80% of cell volume
Sarcomere
• smallest contractile unit of a muscle fiber
• consists of thick (myosin) filaments & thin
(actin) filaments
• arranged in a regular array
Contraction
The skeleton muscle cell contracts in response to stimulation from a nerve
fibre, which supplies the muscle cell usually about halfway along its length
. The region where the nerve and muscle come into closest proximity and
the transmission of the action potential takes place is called the
neuromuscular junction.
When the action potential spreads from he nerve along the sarcolemma, it
penetrates deep into the muscle cell through a special network of channels
that run through the Sarcoplasm and releases calcium from the intracellular
stores.
Calcium triggers the binding of myosin to the actin filament next to it,
forming so called cross bridges.
ATP then provides the energy the energy for the two filaments to slide
over each other, pulling the Z lines at each end of the sarcomere closer to
one another, shortening the sarcomere.
If enough fibres are stimulated to do this at the same time, the whole
muscle will shorten (contract). This is called the sliding filament theory.
The muscle relaxes when nerve stimulation stops.
Calcium is pumped back into its intracellular storage areas, which breaks
the cross bridges between the actin and myosin filaments.
They then slide back into their starting positions, lengthening the
sarcomeres and returning the muscle to its original length.
Actin and myosin do not shorten
The neuromuscular junction
The axons of motor neurones a carrying impulses to skeletal muscle to
produce contraction, divide into fine filaments terminating in minute pads
called motor end plates.
At the point where the nerve reaches the muscle, the myelin sheath is
absent and the fine filament passes to a sensitive area on the surface of the
muscle fibre.
Each muscle fibre is stimulated through a single motor end plate and one
motor nerve has many motor end plate,
The motor end plate and the sensitive area of muscle fibre through which it
is stimulated is analogous to the synapse between neurones and is called
the neuromuscular junction.
The nerve impulse is passed across the gap between the motor end plate
and the muscle fibre by the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine.
One nerve fibre and the muscle fibres it supplies constitute a motor unit.
Nerve impulses cause serial contraction of motor units in a muscle, and
each unit contracts to its full capacity.
The strength of the contraction depends on the number of motor units in
action at a particular time.
Cardiac muscle
found Only in heart constitutes the bulk of the heart wall
Striated
Sliding filament theory
controlled involuntarily
neural control allows a shift into high gear for
short periods
Function is to pump blood
Cardiac muscle cells
15 mm wide X 100 mm long,
1. uninucleate
2. involuntary
3. striated
Branched and fit together tightly at junctions-Intercalated discs
intercalated discs appear as lines thicker than stripes
Central 1-2 nuclei
Mitochondria – numerous
Appears like sheet of muscle rather than large number of individual fibres.
End to end continuity of cardiac muscle has significance to contractions-
wave of contraction spreads from cell to cell across the intercalated discs.
Cells need not be stimulated individually.
Forms two networks – atrial and ventricular
It has an intrinsic pace maker system and contracts at a steady rate in a
coordinated manner with out any external stimuli.
pacemaker of heart (SA node)
HEART BEAT IS INFUENCED BY
1. Autonomic nerve impulses
2. Some hormones
3. local metabolites
4. Other substances
Smooth muscle fibers
Spindle shaped
2-10 mm diameter
20-200 mm long
Nonstriated
Central nucleus
Arranged in sheets
Usually in layers around a tube
Peristalsis - waves of contraction to propel contents along tube
Smooth muscle properties
Intrinsic ability to contract and relax
Slower to contract vs. skeletal muscle
Slower to relax vs. skeletal muscle
Can maintain contraction longer
Resistant to fatigue
Unconscious control - involuntary
ANS – autonomic nervous system
Stretch
Hormones
Local metabolites
Some smooth muscle units have the ability to intiate their own contraction
independently of nerve stimulation (automatically)
Are normally innervated by branches of the autonomic nervous system.
In addition some hormones and local metabolites may influence
contraction, for example adrenaline (epinephrine) from the adrenal medulla
dilates the airways.
Major locations
Blood vessels
Respiratory system
Digestive system
Urinary system
Reproductive system
Eye (lens and iris)
Ducts of glands
uterus
Siding filament theory applies
Actin & myosin
No myofibrils – no striations
Smooth muscle organization
Single unit innervation
Smooth muscle fibers connected by gap junctions
Network receives single innervation
Coordinated contraction
Multiunit innervation
Each fiber innervated
Locations
Iris of eye
Arrector pili muscle of skin
Muscle tone
When each muscle fibre contracts, it obeys the all or none law, i. e the
whole fibre either contracts completely or not at all.
The degree of contraction achieved by a whole muscle depends therefore
on the number of fibres within it that are contracting at any one time, as
well as how often they are stimulated.
Powerful contractions involve a larger proportion of available fibres than
weaker ones to lift a heavy weight; more muscle fibres are required to
contract than to lift a higher one.
Muscle tone is sustained partial muscle contraction that allows posture to
be maintained without fatiguing the muscles involved
Muscle fatigue
To work at sustained levels muscles need an adequate supply of oxygen
and fuel molecules such as glucose.
Fatigue occurs when a muscle works at a level that exceeds these supplies.
The muscle response will become depressed and eventually cease
altogether.
The chemical energy (ATP) that muscles require is usually derived from
the breakdown of carbohydrate and fat, protein may be used if supplies of
fat and carbohydrate and exhausted.
The chemical energy (ATP) that muscles require is usually derived from
the breakdown of carbohydrate and fat, protein may be used if supplies of
fat and carbohydrate and exhausted.
An adequate oxygen supply is needed to release fully all the energy stored
within these fuel molecules, without it, the body uses anaerobic metabolic
pathways that are less efficient and lead to lactic acid production.
Fatigue resulting from inadequate oxygen supply, as in strenuous exercise,
occurs when lactic acid accumulates in working muscles.
Fatigue may also occur because energy stores are exhausted, or due to
physical injury to muscle which may occur after prolonged episodes of
strenuous activity e.g marathon running.
Muscle recovery
After exercise, muscle needs a period of time to recover to replenish its
ATP and glycogen stores and to repair any damaged fibres. For some time
following exercise, depending on the degree of exertion, the oxygen debt
remains )an extended period of increased oxygen demand) as the body
converts excess lactic acid to pyruvic acid and replaces its energy stores.
Action of skeletal muscles
In order to move a body part the muscle or its tendon must strength across
at least one joint.
When it contracts, the muscle then pulls one bone towards another.
For example when the elbow is bent during flexion of the forearm, the
main mover is the biceps brachii, which is anchored on the scapula at one
end and on the radius at the other.
When it contracts its shortening pulls on the radius, moving the
forearm u towards the upper arm and bending the elbow.
This example also illustrates another feature of muscle arrangement, that of
antagonistic pairs.
Many muscles/ muscle groups of the body are arranged so that their
actions oppose one another.
Using the example of bending the elbow, when the main flexors on the
front of the upper arm contract, the muscles at the back of the upper arm
must simultaneously relax to prevent injury.
Isometric and isotonic contraction
Contraction of a muscle usually results in its shortening, as happens for
instance to the biceps muscle if the forearm is used to pick up a cup.
The power generated by the muscle is used to lift the manageable weight
and tension in the muscle remains constant.
In this situation, the contraction is said to be isotonic (iso = same, tonic =
tension).
However, image trying to lift an 80 Kg man with one hand.
Most people would be unable to perform this task, but the muscles of the
arm and shoulder would still be working hard as they attempted it.
In this situation, because the resistance from the man’s weight is too great
for him to be moved by the efforts of the lifter, the muscles would be
unable to shorten and the power generated increases the muscle tension
instead.
This is isometric contraction (iso = same, metric= length
