MUSCLE TISSUE

DEFINITION
• It is one of the four basic tissue in
the body

• This tissue is specialized for

contraction and conduction of
impulse

• The muscle cells are the contractile

components of muscle tissue and are
called myocytes
• Contractile cells are generally called
muscle fibres because they are
elongated structures

• Muscle is not only formed by muscle

fibres but also contain considerable
amount of connective tissue
 TYPES OF MUSCLE
TISSUE

• Skeletal muscle

• Smooth muscle

• Cardiac muscle
 SKELETAL MUSCLE
• It is also called voluntary, striated or
striped muscle.
• These muscles are attached to
skeleton and hence they are called
skeletal muscle.
• They can be contracted and relaxed at
will, are called voluntary muscles.
• Microscopic structure shows light and
dark bands – striated muscle
SKELETAL MUSCLE
ORGANISATION OF MUSCLE
FIBRE IN MUSCLE
• Each muscle divides into several
muscle fasciculi or bundles
• Each fasciculus is composed of
variable number of muscle fibres
• Sarcolemma is the cell membrane of
striated muscle fibre
• It plays a role in conducting
contraction eliciting impulses along
and into the fibre
Structure of Striated
Muscle
• Each muscle divides into several
muscle fasciculi or bundles.

• Each fasciculus is composed of

variable number of muscle fibres.

• Each muscle fibre is a multinuleated,

cross stiated cylindrical cell (myocyte)
with peripheral nuclei.
 MYOFIBRILS: contain longitudinally
oriented protein filaments called
myofilaments.

 Myofilaments are made up of actin &

myosin.

 In the sarcoplasm free pigmented muscle

protein called myoglobin.

 The portion of myofibrils between two

consecutive Z-lines - Sarcomere
 It is the ultimate contractile unit of striated
muscle
 CONNECTIVE TISSUE
COMPONENT
• The dense connective tissue which forms a
tough sheath around an entire muscle –
epimysium.
• The covering of the connective tissue of
each muscle bundle is called perimysium.
• Covering of each and every muscle fibre is
called endomysium.
• Perimysium conducts blood vessels,
nerves and lymphatics from epimysium to
individual muscle bundles
Connective Tissue (Contd)
Slow and Fast Muscle Fibres
• Type I (slow) fibres- show slow ‘tonic’
contraction, red in colour & resistant
to fatigue.
• Type II (fast) fibres- show fast
‘phasic’ contraction, white in colour &
easily fatigued.
• Intermediate fibres- represent a
variant of type II fibres relatively
resistant to fatigue.
Nerve Supply of Muscle
Neuromuscular Junctions - cholinergic
in nature, supply induvidual muscle
fibre.
 CARDIAC MUSCLE

• It is involuntary, cross striated

muscle, present only in heart.
• Cardiac muscle is similar to skeletal
muscle in most of the structures, but
developmentally, functionally and by
its nerve supply it resembles the
smooth muscle.
• Muscle fibres show extensive
branching and anastomosis with slit
spaces between them.
Cardiac Muscle (LS)
• Cells contain sarcoplasm, myofibrils like
skeletal muscle, but contain only one
nucleus in one cell.

• Sarcoplasm is abundant but myofibrils are

less in number.

 Distinguishing and characteristic feature

of cardiac muscle fibres are the intercalated
discs – special type of junctional complex.
 SMOOTH MUSCLE

• Also called non striated, involuntary or

plain muscle.

• Is made up of long spindle shaped cells

having a broad central part and tapering
ends.

• Nucleus is oval or elongated, lies in the

central part of the cell.
SMOOTH MUSCLE
• With light microscope the sarcoplasm
appears to have indistinct
longitudinal striations, but there are
no transvere striations.

• Distribution- walls of hollow viscera