Chapter 9: Muscle and Muscle Tissue

Chapter 10: Muscular System

THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM

MUSCLES AND MUSCLE TISSUE

Types of Muscle Tissue

1. Skeletal muscle
 Attached to the skeleton
 Striated
 Voluntary

2. Cardiac muscle
 Forms the heart
 Striated and branching
 Involuntary

3. Smooth muscle
 Walls of hollow organs
 Nonstriated
 Involuntary

Functional Characteristics / Basic Properties of Muscle Tissue

1. Excitability (Irritability)
 The capability to received and respond to a stimulus

2. Contractility
 The ability to contract or shorten

3. Extensibility
 The ability to be stretched

4. Elasticity
 The ability to return to its original shape after being stretched or contracted

Muscle Functions

 4 important functions:
1. Produce movement
2. Maintain posture
3. Stabilize joints
4. Generate heat

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 Chapter 9: Muscle and Muscle Tissue
Chapter 10: Muscular System

SKELETAL MUSCLE

Gross Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle

 Skeletal muscle tissue is composed of individual cells called muscle fibers

 Muscle fibers (cells) are protected and strengthened by connective tissue
coverings/sheaths
1. Endomysium
2. Perimysium and fascicles
3. Epimysium
 Fascicles are groups of fibers and muscle are group of fascicles
 Fascia is a sheet of fibrous tissue enclosing of muscles or group of muscle
 A sheath of connective tissue called endomysium surrounds each muscle fiber,
perimysium surrounds each fascicle and epimysium encases muscles
 Muscle are supplied with blood by arteries and nerves (motor neurons)

Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle Fiber

 Myofibrils are contractile elements that occupy most of the cell volume.

 Their banded appearance results from a regular alternation dark (A) and light (I)
bands.

 Myofibrils are chains of sarcomere; each sarcomere contains thick (myosin) and thin
(actin) myofilaments arranged in a regular array.

 The heads of myosin molecules form cross bridges that interact with the thin
filaments.

 The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is a system of membranous tubules surrounding

each myofibril. Its function is to release and then sequester calcium ions.

 T tubules are invaginations of the sarcolemma that run between the terminal
cisternae of the SR. They allow the electrical stimulus to be delivered quickly to deep
cell regions.

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 Chapter 9: Muscle and Muscle Tissue
Chapter 10: Muscular System

Physiology of a Skeletal Muscle Fiber

 Regulation of skeletal muscle cell/fiber contraction involves:

 Generation and transmission of an action potential (electrical current) along
the sarcolemma
 Excitation-contraction coupling

 Skeletal muscle cells are stimulated by motor neurons. The axon of each motor
neuron divides profusely as it enters the muscle.

 Each axonal ending forms a branching neuromuscular junction with a single muscle
fiber.

 An end plate potential is set up when neurotransmitter acetycholine (ACh) released

by a nerve ending binds to Ach receptors on the sarcolemma, causing changes in
membrane permeability that allow ion flows that deplolarize the membrane at the
motor end plate.

 In excitation-contraction coupling, the action potential is propagated down the T

tubules, causing calcium to be released from the SR into the cell interior.

 Sliding of the filaments is triggered by rise in intracellular calcium ion level.

 Troponin binding of calcium moves tropomyosin away from myosin binding sites on
actin, allowing cross bridge.

 Myosin ATPases split ATP, which energizes the working strokes and is necessary for
bridge detachment.

 Cross bridge activity ends when calcium is pumped back into the SR.

Contraction of a Skeletal Muscle

 A motor unit is one motor neuron and all the muscle cells it innervates
 The neuron’s axon has several branches, each of which forms a neuromuscular
junction with one muscle cell
 The respond of a motor unit to a single action potential of its motor neuron is called
a muscle twitch
 Isotonic contractions occur when the muscle shortens (concentric contraction) or
lengthens (eccentric contraction) as the load is moved
 Isometric contractions occur when muscle tension produces but the muscle does not
shorten or lengthen

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 Chapter 9: Muscle and Muscle Tissue
Chapter 10: Muscular System

THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM

Interactions of Skeletal Muscles in the Body

 Skeletal muscles are arranged in opposing groups across body joints so that one
group can reverse or modify the action of the other

Classification of Muscles

1. Agonist (prime mover)

 A muscle that is primarily responsible for producing a movement
 e.g. elbow flexion (biceps brachii and brachialis)

2. Antagonist
 A muscle that opposes or reverse the movement of a prime mover
 e.g. elbow flexion (triceps brachii)

3. Synergist
 A muscle that complements the action of a prime mover (stabilizing joints)
 e.g. elbow flexion (brachioradialis and pronator teres)

4. Fixator (postural)
 A muscle that provides a stable base for the action of the prime mover (When
synergist function to immobilize a bone or a muscle’s origin)

Attachment of Muscles

1. Origin
 The end of a muscle attached to the bone that does not move

2. Insertion
 The point of attachment of the muscle on the bone that moves

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 Chapter 9: Muscle and Muscle Tissue
Chapter 10: Muscular System

Pattern of Fascicle Arrangement

 The specific pattern of fascicles within a muscle determines the range of movement
and power of muscle
 Pattern of arrangement of fascicles and tendons of attachment include:

a. Parallel - long axes of the fascicles run parallel to the long axis of the muscle
 Straplike
 Fusiform

b. Pennate - short oblique

 Unipennate - fascicle insert into one side of the tendon
 Bipennate - fascicle insert into tendon from opposite side
 Multipennate - arrangement looks like feathers situated side by side
inserted to one large tendon

c. Convergent - broad origin converse towards insertion (triangular/fan

shaped)

d. Circular - fascicles are arranged in concentric rings (sphincters)