SCHOOL OF MEDICAL

LABORATORY SCIENCE HUMAN HISTOLOGY (LECTURE)

SAN PEDRO COLLEGE – MAIN
CAMPUS
Instructor’s Name: Fritz Von Gella, RMT, MD
AY 2022 – 2023 - 1ST SEMESTER LESSON NO.8

OUTLINE
I. HISTOLOGY: MUSCLE TISSUE
A. MUSCLE (OVERVIEW)
B. SKELETAL MUSCLE
C. TYPES OF SKELETAL MUSCLES
D. CARDIAC MUSCLES
E. SMOOTH MUSCLE
F. COMPARISON OF SKELETAL, CARDIAC, &
SMOOTH MUSCLE
Note: For long outlines, use two columns to save space for main
content. For short outlines, just merge the two columns.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this video lecture, the students are able to: Figure 1. Types of Muscle Tissues
● Distinguish the three types of muscle.
● Describe how they differ in structure and function
Note: If no learning objectives were given during the lecture, either
OVERVIEW: MUSCLE DISTRIBUTION
use the ones in the handout given or delete this portion altogether ● SKELETAL
→ Comprised of all named voluntary muscles in the body (ex.
Gastrocnemius, Latissimus Dorsi)
I. HISTOLOGY: MUSCLE TISSUE → Most originate and/or insert in bone
● CARDIAC
A. MUSCLE (OVERVIEW) → Limited to Heart (Myocardium) and Large Blood Vessels
attached to the heart
● Terms used in muscle tissues: ● SMOOTH
→ Muscle fiber - refers to your muscle cells → Present in walls and parenchyma of most visceral organs,
▪ the basic unit of your muscle, your muscle fiber which walls of blood vessels and skin
equates now to your muscle cells.
→ Sarcolemma - synonymous to your cell membrane of B. SKELETAL MUSCLE
muscle cells
→ Sarcoplasmic Reticulum - sER
→ Sarcosomes - mitochondria
→ Sarcoplasm - cytoplasm
● Muscle
→ Classified into three types: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth
muscle.
→ Muscle cells possess contractile filaments containing actin
and myosin
→ Contraction may be voluntary (skeletal muscles) or
involuntary (cardiac and smooth muscle)
▪ This is one parameter for us already to differentiate the
different types of your skeletal muscles by their
voluntariness in terms of contraction.
→ All muscle tissues consist of elongated cells called fibers.
→ The cytoplasm of muscle cells is called sarcoplasm, and the
surrounding cell membrane or plasmalemma is called
Figure 2. Skeletal Muscle
sarcolemma.
● Epimysium
Table 1. Types of Muscle Tissues
→ Connective tissue which envelops muscles
SKELETAL CARDIAC SMOOTH ▪ These entire skeletal muscles are surrounded now by a
Striated Striated (via Nonstriated dense irregular connective tissue called your
intercalated disc) epimysium.
Voluntary Involuntary Involuntary ● Perimysium
→ Connective tissue which envelops muscle
bundles/fascicles
▪ From the epimysium, a less dense and thinner irregular
connective tissue layer is now called your perimysium.
▪ They extend inwards and divide the interior of your muscle
into smaller bundles of muscle fibers called now your
fascicle.
● Endomysium

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 SCHOOL OF MEDICAL
LABORATORY SCIENCE HUMAN HISTOLOGY (LECTURE)
SAN PEDRO COLLEGE – MAIN
CAMPUS
Instructor’s Name: Fritz Von Gella, RMT, MD
AY 2022 – 2023 - 1ST SEMESTER LESSON NO.8

→ Surrounds muscle fibers Under light microscope:

→ A thin layer of reticular connective tissue fibers ● Longitudinal section of muscle fibers show cross striations of:
▪ Endomysium, which invests now into individual muscle → Light Band (I-Band)
fibers, will now separate each muscle fiber. Therefore ▪ Lighter portion is I-Band
your muscle bundles of fascicles are composed of → Dark Band (A-Band)
different muscle fibers. ▪ Darker or thicker portion is A-band
→ Consists of: Basal Lamina + Free Reticular FIbers + ● Cross striations correspond to transverse striations of
Connective Tissues Elements alternating light & dark bands
→ that is why the muscle fiber appears striated: because of the
SKELETAL MUSCLE: MUSCLE FIBER alternating light band and dark band

Under Electron Microscope:

● Z-LINE
→ Zwischenscheiben Line; Z-band; Z-disc
→ dark line which bisects l-Band
● H-BAND (H-Zone)
→ Henle's Band; Heller Band; Hell Band; Henson's Band
→ lighter zone in the center of A-Band
● SARCOMERE
→ Z-line to Z-line (or Z-disc to Z-disc) is a representation of a
sarcomere
→ Repeating units which make up Myofibrils
● M-LINE
→ Mittelscheibe Line
→ thin, dark band which bisects the H-Band in the middle
Figure 3. Skeletal Muscle: Muscle Fiber

● This portion here is your skeletal muscle fiber, so this is now

your muscle cell which is equivalent to your skeletal muscle
fiber.
→ It is long, cylindrical and multinucleated. The nucleus is
located peripherally. You have a peripheral nuclei at the
side portion of your muscle fiber.
→ Each of these muscle fibers of the subunit are called your
myofibrils. It has a myofibrils that extends the entire length
of your fiber, now the myofibrils are composed of smaller
myofilaments which formed the contractile thin protein actin
and a thick protein myosin. Therefore it contains your thick
and thin filaments. Each of these myofibrils is represented by
this blue color thick filament and pink color thin filament.
● Skeletal muscle fiber = muscle cell
● Myofibril
→ subunits of each muscle cell or muscle fiber
→ composed of thin actin protein and thick protein myosin
→ made up of repeating units of sarcomere

Figure 5. Representation of the components of skeletal muscle fiber

● TITIN
→ the green component in Figure 5
→ A giant protein that functions as a molecular spring
→ Greater than 1 micrometer in length
→ Responsible for the passive elasticity of muscle
→ Largest protein in the body
Figure 4. Skeletal Muscle Fiber: Representation

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 SCHOOL OF MEDICAL
LABORATORY SCIENCE HUMAN HISTOLOGY (LECTURE)
SAN PEDRO COLLEGE – MAIN
CAMPUS
Instructor’s Name: Fritz Von Gella, RMT, MD
AY 2022 – 2023 - 1ST SEMESTER LESSON NO.8

● THIN FILAMENTS 3. Calcium ions bind to troponin. Troponin changes shape,

→ can extend from the I-band up to the A-band moving tropomyosin on the actin to expose active sites on
● THICK FILAMENTS actin molecules of thin filaments. Myosin heads of thick
→ covers the entire A-band filaments attach to exposed active sites to form
crossbridges.
SKELETAL MUSCLE: MUSCLE CONTRACTION

Figure 8. Sliding of thin and thick filaments.

4. Myosin heads pivot, moving thin filaments forward the

sarcomere center. ATP binds myosin heads and is broken
down into ADP and P. Myosin heads detach from thin
filaments and return to their pre-pivot position. The repeating
cycle to attach-pivot-detach-return slides thick and thin
Figure 6. Muscle Contraction filaments past one another. The sarcomere shortens and
the muscle contracts. The cycle continues as long as
● The muscle is divided into calcium ions remain bound to troponin to keep active sites
(1) Neural Part exposed.
(2) Muscular Part

How does muscle contraction occur?

1. A nerve impulse triggers the release of Acetylcholine (ACh)
from the synaptic knob into the synaptic cleft.
→ Synaptic vesicles
▪ contain Acetylcholine
▪ Upon receiving a nerve impulse, it releases Acetylcholine
into the synaptic cleft.
1.1 ACh binds to ACh receptors in the motor end plate of the
neuromuscular junction, initiating a muscle impulse in the
sarcolemma of the muscle fiber.

2. As the muscle impulse spreads quickly from the sarcolemma

along T tubules, calcium ions are released from terminal
cisternae into the sarcoplasm.

Figure 9. Muscle relaxation.

5. When the impulse stops, calcium ions are actively transported

into the sarcoplasmic reticulum, tropomyosin re-covers
active sites, and filaments passively slide back to their
relaxed state.

Figure 7. Formation of crossbridge.

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 SCHOOL OF MEDICAL
LABORATORY SCIENCE HUMAN HISTOLOGY (LECTURE)
SAN PEDRO COLLEGE – MAIN
CAMPUS
Instructor’s Name: Fritz Von Gella, RMT, MD
AY 2022 – 2023 - 1ST SEMESTER LESSON NO.8

Fiber Small Intermediate Large

diameter

Size of motor Small Intermediate Large

unit

Myoglobin High (red High (red Low (white

content fibers) fibers) fibers)

Figure 10. Relaxed muscle.

Glycogen Low Intermediate High
content
In a relaxed skeletal muscle, the relaxed sarcomere, I band, and
H zone are at their expanded length. The spring-like action of Titin,
Major source Oxidative Oxidative Aerobic
which spawns the I band, helps pull thin and thick filaments past of ATP phosphorylati phosphorylati glycolysis
one another hindering relaxed muscle. on on

Glycolytic Low Intermediate High

enzyme
activity

Rate of Slow Intermediate High

fatigue

Myosin-ATPa Low High High

se activity
Figure 11. Fully contracted muscle.
Speed of Slow Fast Fast
In a fully contracted muscle, the Z disc during contraction at the
contraction
sarcomere boundaries are drawn closer together. It's much closer
compared to the relaxed state. The titin molecules are compressed
Typical major Postural Major Extraocular
during contraction. locations muscles of muscles of muscles
back legs
C. TYPES OF SKELETAL MUSCLE

Red (Slow Twitch) Muscle

● Contract at slower rate but capable of continuous contraction
● Do not fatigue easily
● Richer blood supply than white
● High content of red pigments (Myoglobin and Mitochondrial
Cytochromes)
● Many mitochondria, smaller in diameter
● Example: Long muscles of the back

White (Fast Twitch) Muscle

● Contract rapidly but briefly
● Fatigues fast
● Low Myoglobin content
● Fewer mitochondria; large in diameter than red Figure 12. Longitudinal (upper) and transverse (lower) histological photos
● Example: Extraocular muscles of the skeletal striated muscles of the tongue.

Table 2. Major characteristics of skeletal muscle fiber types,

Slow, Fast, Fast,
Oxidative Oxidative-Gly Glycolytic
Fibers (Type I) colytic Fibers Fibers (Type
(Type IIa) IIb)

Mitochondria Numerous Numerous Sparse

Capillaries Numerous Numerous Sparse

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 SCHOOL OF MEDICAL
LABORATORY SCIENCE
SAN PEDRO COLLEGE – MAIN
CAMPUS
AY 2022 – 2023 - 1ST SEMESTER
Figure 13. Diagram of skeletal muscle.
Figure 14. Another diagram of skeletal muscle.
In the longitudinal section, the nucleus is located in the periphery
and there is a presence of striations because of the alternating I
bond and A bond, dark and light bond. There is also a presence of
capillary. There are cross-striations, the endomysium that
surrounds the muscle fibers. In the transverse section of the
muscle, we can see the muscle fibers surrounded by the
endomysium. The muscle fascicle is also evident which is
composed of different muscle fibers.
BSMLS – 2G Team Writers: Bersabe, Cazar, Zwijgers, & Lasaga
HUMAN HISTOLOGY (LECTURE)
Instructor’s Name: Fritz Von Gella, RMT, MD
LESSON NO.8
D. CARDIAC MUSCLES
Figure 15. Cardiac Muscle
● Cardiac muscle fibers are cylindrical in shape
→ Primarily located in the walls and SEPTA of the heart, and
the walls of large blood vessels, attached to the heart is
the aorta and pulmonary trunk.
→ Presence of cross-striations as a result of regular
arrangement of actin and myosin filaments in the
sarcomere
● Cardiac muscle develops by joining the cells end to end
through anchoring cell junctions called intercalated discs.
Intercalated Discs
● distinguishing characteristic feature of your cardiac muscle
→ your cardiac muscle and your skeletal muscle will exhibit
stration. So for you to say that it is a cardiac muscle, one
important feature that you must be able to identify is the
presence of your intercalated disc
→ if you can see the presence of intercalated disc,
automatically, that is a cardiac muscle cell
● unique in cardiac muscles
● cross chain of cardiac cells at irregular interval
● represent junctional complexes of muscle cells
● anchors Myofibrils
● allows for instantaneous spread of contractile stimulus
Continuation of Cardiac Muscle definitions/information…
● cardiac muscle cells also exhibit only one or two central nuclei
likewise shorter than the skeletal muscles and they can exhibit
branching.
Figure 16. Components of a Cardiac Muscle Fiber
● Alternating, there's a presence of striations because of the
alternating I band and A band.
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 SCHOOL OF MEDICAL
LABORATORY SCIENCE HUMAN HISTOLOGY (LECTURE)
SAN PEDRO COLLEGE – MAIN
CAMPUS
Instructor’s Name: Fritz Von Gella, RMT, MD
AY 2022 – 2023 - 1ST SEMESTER LESSON NO.8

● One important characteristics of your cardiac muscle fiber is the ● It is branching; there's a presence of your intercalated disc;
presence of your intercalated discs nucleus is centrally located, then most probably, this is a cardiac
muscle

E. SMOOTH MUSCLE

Figure 17. Histological section of the cardiac muscle tissue

● Top: Longitudinal
● Bottom: Cross-section
● (1) Longitudinal and transverse section of cardiac muscle
● (2) There's a presence of cross striations similar with your
skeletal muscle
→ the cross striations on the cardiac muscles closely resemble Figure 19. Smooth Muscle
those in your skeletal muscle
● In contrast now, the cardiac muscle fibers show branching. ● smooth muscle appears as an elongated individual fiber with a
→ unlike skeletal muscle fibers which do not branch. fusiform shape
→ There is a connection between each of these muscle fibers ● fusiform shape of slender bundles called your fascicle
because it branches out. ● muscle fibers are also small and contain a single central
→ nucleus
● Cardiac muscle fibers show branching without much change in → it is a centrally located nucleus
their diameters → the one that is only periphery located, that's automatically
● Each of your cardiac muscle fibers is shorter. It's a bit shorter your skeletal muscle tissue
now than your skeletal muscle fibers and they contain a single
centrally located nucleus
→ Note: skeletal muscle fibers nucleus is located peripherally
while cardiac muscle is centrally located.
● You can also have a binucleate muscle fibers occasionally seen
● Distinguishing factor between skeletal and cardiac muscle fiber
→ (1) Presence of intercalated disc
▪ Present in cardiac; absent in skeletal
→ (2) Branching
▪ Branching = cardiac; unbranching = skeletal
→ (3) Nucleus
▪ Centrally - located = cardiac; located peripherally =
skeletal Figure 20. Histological section of the smooth muscle

● Top: Longitudinal section

● Bottom: Transverse or cross section
● smooth muscle fibers are spindle shaped cells with a tapered
ends
→ Remember: fusiform fibers
▪ you will know that it is fusiform fibers once it is it has a
tapering ends and the nucleus is centrally located
▪ tapering means that the end portion is pointed
● the cytoplasm of each of the muscle fibers stains dark
● an elongated or avoid single nucleus is present at the center of
each smooth muscle fiber
● individual smooth muscle fibers contain contractile actin and
myosin filaments however…
→ Note: they are not arranged in the regular cross-striated
patterns
▪ that is why you do not expect to see striations
▪ there's still presence of your actin and myosin but they are
Figure 18. Histological section of the cardiac muscle not arranged similar to your cardiac and skeletal muscle

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 SCHOOL OF MEDICAL
LABORATORY SCIENCE HUMAN HISTOLOGY (LECTURE)
SAN PEDRO COLLEGE – MAIN
CAMPUS
Instructor’s Name: Fritz Von Gella, RMT, MD
AY 2022 – 2023 - 1ST SEMESTER LESSON NO.8

● that is why your smooth muscle appears no striations at all

because actin and myosin filaments are not arranged in regular
cross-striated patterns, instead, actin and myosin course
obliquely throughout the cell in the form of a lattice network that
crisscrosses your sarcoplasm
→ as a result of the irregular distribution of your contractile
elements, these muscle fibers now appear to to be smooth or
non-striated

Figure 21. Another histological sample of the smooth muscle fiber

F. COMPARISON OF SKELETAL, CARDIAC, &

SMOOTH MUSCLE

PROPERTY SKELETAL CARDIAC SMOOTH

MUSCLE MUSCLE MUSCLE

Shape and Long, Blunt-ended Short,

size of cells cylindrical branched spindle-shaped

Number and Many, One or two, One, central

location of peripheral central
nucleus

Striations Yes Yes No

present

Gap junctions No Yes (in Yes (in

present intercalated sarcolemma);
disks) known as the
nexus

Sarcomere Yes Yes No

present

Voluntary Yes No No
contraction

Distinctive Peripheral Intercalated Lack of

characteristics nuclei disks striations

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