Human Anatomy and Physiology - N. I. Fedyukovich 2003

Cells and Tissues
Tissues
Muscle Tissue

pMuscle tissue is a type of tissue that enables movement in the Human and Animal body (for example, the flow of Blood through Blood Vessels, the passage of food during Digestion, etc.) via specialized contractile structures called myofibrils. There are two types of Muscle tissue: smooth (non-striated); skeletal striated (striated) and cardiac striated (striated) (Fig. 6).p p Class="center"img height="267" src="fedukovich.files/image007.jpg" width="451"p p class="center"Fig. 6. Types of muscle tissue:p p class="center"I — longitudinal section; II — cross section; A — smooth (non-striated);p p class="center"B — skeletal striated; C — cardiac striatedp pMuscle tissue possesses functional properties such as excitability, conductivity, and contractility.p pSmooth muscle tissue consists of spindle-shaped Cells—myocytes—ranging from 15 to 500 μm in length and about 8 μm in diameter. The cells lie parallel to one another, forming muscular layers. Smooth muscle is found in the walls of many structures, such as the intestines, Urinary Bladder, blood vessels, Ureters, Uterus, vas deferens, and others. For example, the intestinal wall contains an outer longitudinal and an inner circular layer, the contraction of which causes the intestine to elongate and constrict. This coordinated muscular activity is called peristalsis and facilitates the movement of intestinal contents or substances within hollow Organs.p pSmooth muscle tissue contracts gradually and is capable of remaining in a state of contraction for long periods, consuming relatively little energy without fatiguing. This type of contractile activity is referred to as tonic.p pSkeletal Striated muscle tissue forms the skeletal Muscles that move the BONES OF THE Skeleton and are also part of certain Internal Organs (the Tongue, Pharynx, upper Esophagus, and external anal sphincter). Cytology/practical/58.html">Striated Skeletal Muscle tissue consists of multinucleated, cylindrical fibers arranged parallel to one another, which feature alternating dark and light bands (discs, stripes) with different refractive properties. The length of these fibers ranges from 1000 to 40 000 μm, and their diameter is about 100 μm. Skeletal Muscle contraction is voluntary, and they are innervated by spinal and Cranial Nerves.p pCardiac striated muscle tissue is found only in The Heart. It has an excellent Blood supply and is significantly less prone to fatigue than typical striated muscle tissue. The structural unit of this muscle tissue is the cardiomyocyte. With the help of intercalated discs, cardiomyocytes form the Conduction system of the Heart. Contraction of The cardiac muscle is involuntary.p

Last update: 08/08/2026

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