SMOOTH

MUSCLES
GROUP 4
CARANDANG
CRUZ
PASUMBAL
SALEM
TOLENTINO
Smooth Muscle
- Non-striated type of muscle
- Forms the wall of hollow organs
of the digestive tract and blood
vessels
- Generally autonomic
- Contractions are slower and
weaker, but can sustain
contraction for a prolonged
period
- Can be divided into 2 categories:
- Single-unit (unitary)
- Multi-unit (multiunitary)

Sherwood (2013); Randall et al. (2002); Reece et al. (2014)

 UNITARY
vs
MULTIUNITARY
Unitary
- Present in the walls of
gastrointestinal tract, uterus,
urinary bladder, respiratory tract
- Joined by low-resistance gap
junctions (syncytial nature, allows
a large area to contract as one)
- Contractions are myogenic and
has pacemaker activity
- Nervous stimulation only changes
rhythm and force of contraction
- Hormones, stretching,
temperature, and pH can also
affect contractions
Khurana, (2005); Randall et al. (2002)
Multiunitary
- Present in iris, ciliary body,
pilomotor, nictitating membrane
- Separated, NOT interconnected
by gap junctions, and each cell is
innervated by a nerve ending
- Contractions are neurogenic
- Relies on stimuli from nerves to
contract (excitations are localized
in each unit)
- Does not respond to stretch
MATERIALS
AND
METHODS
Normal Conditions Exposure to stimuli

1 2 3 4 5 6

EXPOSURE
DOUBLE COUNTING REMOVAL OF EXPOSURE TO RE-EXPOSURE TO
PITHING & INTACT MUSCLE ACETYLCHOLINE TO RINGER’S ADRENALINE
OPENING MUSCLE SAMPLES AND SOLUTION SOLUTION SOLUTION
ABDOMINAL CONTRACTION SUBMERGENCE
CAVITY OF IN RINGER’S
SPECIMEN SOLUTION
RESULTS
Results

Acetylcholine
- Increased number
of contractions

Adrenaline
- Decreased
number of
contractions

Sherwood et al. (2013); Randall et al. (2002); Reece et al. (2014)

 DISCUSSION
A Closer Look at
Smooth Muscle
Cells
Smooth Muscle

- Long fusiform cells

- Lack striations, but has actin and
myosin in a less organized
manner
- Has sarcoplasmic reticulum
similar to skeletal muscle, but not
as developed
- Myofilaments are gathered in
dense bodies or connected to
attachment plaques in the
sarcolemma
Sherwood (2013); Randall et al. (2002); Alberts (2015); Khurana
(2005)
Innervation
- Innervated by autonomic nerves,
both sympathetic and
parasympathetic with opposite
effects
- Nerve fibers branch extensively
with enlargements called
varicosities containing
neurotransmitters (acetylcholine
or adrenaline) that are released
and will diffuse into muscle cells.

Sherwood (2013); Randall et al. (2002); Alberts (2015); Khurana

(2005)
Smooth Muscle (Contraction)

- Actin filaments are arranged

obliquely in the cytoplasm
- The light chains of myosin have
crucial regulatory function
- Myosin must be phosphorylated
to interact with actin
- Does NOT contain calcium-
binding troponin

Sherwood (2013); Randall et al. (2002); Alberts (2015); Khurana

(2005)
Smooth Muscle (Contraction)

- Calcium instead binds with

calmodulin to phosphorylate
myosin heads
- Ca2+-calmodulin binds and
activates myosin light chain
kinase (MLC kinase) which
phosphorylates myosin light chain

Sherwood (2013); Randall et al. (2002); Alberts (2015); Khurana

(2005)
DISCUSSION
Skeletal
vs
Smooth
vs
Cardiac
 Characteristics common to
all muscle types
- Sliding Filament Model as mechanism of contraction
- Presence of thick myosin and thin actin filaments
- Presence of tropomyosin
- Presence of sarcoplasmic reticulum
- Calcium initiates the formation of cross-bridges
- Use of ATP in contractions
Sherwood (2013)
 Skeletal Cardiac Unitary Multiunitary
LOCATION
Attached to skeleton Heart only Walls of hollow organs in Large blood vessels, eye,
digestive, reproductive, hair follicles
urinary tracts, small blood
vessels
INNERVATION
Somatic Nervous System Autonomic Nervous Autonomic Nervous Autonomic Nervous
System System System
LEVEL OF CONTROL
Voluntary control Involuntary control Involuntary control Involuntary control

INITIATION OF CONTRACTION
Neurogenic Myogenic Myogenic Neurogenic
(pacemaker potentials) (pacemaker potentials,
slow-wave potentials)

Sherwood (2013)
 Skeletal Cardiac Unitary Multiunitary
ROLE OF NERVOUSSTIMULATION
Initiates contraction Modifies contraction Modifies contraction Initiates contraction

HORMONE EFFECT
No Yes Yes Yes

PRESENCE OF TROPONIN
Yes Yes No (Calmodulin) No (Calmodulin)

PRESENCE OF T TUBULES
Yes Yes No No

DEV. OF SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM

Well Developed Moderately Developed Poorly Developed Poorly Developed

Sherwood (2013)
 Skeletal Cardiac Unitary Multiunitary
SOURCE OF CYTOSOLIC CALCIUM
Sarcoplasmic reticulum Extracellular fluid and Extracellular fluid and Extracellular fluid and
sarcoplasmic reticulum sarcoplasmic reticulum sarcoplasmic reticulum
SITE OF CALCIUM REGULATION
Troponin in thin filaments Troponin in thin filaments Myosin in thick filaments Myosin in thick filaments

MECHANISM OF Ca2+ ACTION

Physically repositions Physically repositions Chemically brings about Chemically brings about
troponin-tropomyosin troponin-tropomyosin phosphorylation of myosin phosphorylation of myosin
complex to uncover actin complex cross bridges so they can cross bridges so they can
cross-bridge binding sites bind with actin bind with actin

PRESENCE OF GAP JUNCTIONS

No Yes Yes Yes (very few)

Sherwood (2013)
 Skeletal Cardiac Unitary Multiunitary
MEANS BY WHICH GRADATION ACCOMPLISHED
Varying number of motor Varying length of fiber Varying cytosolic calcium Varying number of muscle
units contracting (motor (depending on extent of concentration through fibers contracting and
unit recruitment) and filing of the heart myogenic activity and varying calcium
frequency at which they chambers) and varying influences of ANS, concentration in each fiber
are stimulated (twitch cytosolic calcium hormones, mechanical by autonomic and
summation) concentration through stretch, and local hormonal influences
autonomic, hormonal, and metabolites
local metabolite influence

PRESENCE OF TONE IN ABSENCE OF EXTERNAL STIMULATION

No No Yes No
(Partially contracted at all
times because of relatively
low resting potential,
some voltage-gated
calcium channels are Sherwood (2013)
 1. Muscarinic Acetylcholine
Receptors
Receptors types of the 2. Adrenergic Receptor

smooth muscle
Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor
- Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor found in smooth muscles are usually of the
type M2 and M3.
- M2 subtype mediate inhibition of cAMP accumulation
- M3 subtype mediate phosphoinositide hydrolysis and calcium mobilization
(Ehlert et al., 1997)

- M3 is more frequent than M2 in smooth muscles

Muscarinic
Acetylcholine Stimulation of muscarinic M3 and
M2 receptors on gastrointestinal
Receptor smooth muscle elicits contraction
via activation of G proteins that are
coupled to a diverse set of
downstream signaling pathways and
effector proteins. (Gerthoffer,
2005)
Adrenergic Receptor
- Subdivided into: alpha receptors and beta receptors
- Activation of beta 2 receptor and alpha 1 receptors will lead to relaxation and
constriction, respectively
- Beta 2 receptors only activated by norepinephrine
Alpha 1 activated by either epinephrine or norepinephrine (Piascik, n.d.).
 1. Inotropic agents - affects
contraction of heart (+
Receptors types of inotropic -
myocardial contraction)
increases

the cardiac muscle 2. Chronotropic - effects heart

rate (+ chronotropy - increases
heart rate)
3. Dromotropy - affects
conduction of impulse (+
deomotropy - increases
conduction of impulse)
M2 is more 4. Lusitropy - affects relaxation
prevalent than rate (+ lusitropy - allows faster
M3 in cardiac
muscle
heart relaxation
(Klabunde, R., 2014)
Receptors types 1. Nicotinic acetylcholine
receptor
of the skeletal 2. β2 Adrenergic receptor

muscle
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
- Simply, they are the receptors found on skeletal muscle that receive
acetylcholine released to signal for muscular contraction.
- 2 Mechanisms:
1. It causes the movement of cations which causes a depolarization of the
plasma membrane (which results in an excitatory postsynaptic potential in
neurons), but also by the activation of voltage-gated ion channels.
2. The causes the entry of calcium, either directly or indirectly, on different
intracellular cascades. This leads, for example, to the regulation of the activity
of some genes or the release of neurotransmitters (Lu et al, 2014).
Adrenergic Receptor
●β2 adrenergic receptor – increases muscle mass; regulation of protein and energy
balance; anabolism in skeletal muscle; dilate arteries in skeletal muscles (Shirato,
2015)
DISCUSSION
The Vagus
Nerve
Vagus nerve
- a major nerve of the
parasympathetic nervous system,
innervates both the
gastrointestinal tract and the
heart which cause different
responses for smooth and cardiac
muscles, respectively.

- helps regulate the functions of

the thoracic and abdominal
organs such as heart rate,
respiration rate, and digestion.

Sherwood (2013); Marieb (2009)

Cardiac Function
- Increases parasympathetic
stimulation of the heart →
decreases the heart rate.
- supplies the atrium, especially the
SA and AV nodes, in order to
reduce the cardiac output
- It richly innervate the ventricles
as well in order to boost the
cardiac output.
- Excessive vagus nerve stimulation
will lead to bradycardia and AV
node blocks

Sherwood (2013); Marieb (2009)

Gastric Function:
Cephalic Phase
- The preganglionic
parasympathetic vagus nerve
fibers stimulate postganglionic
neurons in the enteric plexus of
the stomach which will stimulate
gastrin secretions by parietal and
chief cells

- Sends action potential from the

medulla oblongata along
parasympathetic neurons within
the vagus nerves to the stomach.
Sherwood (2013); Marieb (2009)
Gastric Function:
Gastric Phase
- Action potentials are carried by
the vagus nerves (green arrow) to
the medulla oblongata
- results in secretion of
hydrochloric acid and
pepsinogen by the gastric glands.

Sherwood (2013); Marieb (2009)

Gastric Function:
Intestinal Phase
- Afferent vagal action potentials
(green arrow) inhibit efferent
action potentials from the
medulla oblongata (red arrow).
- Secretin, gastric inhibitory
polypeptide, cholecystokinin are
released from the duodenum to
inhibit gastric secretions

Sherwood (2013); Marieb (2009)

THANK YOU!
GROUP 4
CARANDANG
CRUZ
PASUMBAL
SALEM
TOLENTINO