Week 7

Muscular system histology and physiology

Objectives
• Describe the major properties of muscle.
• List the major types of muscle tissue, and describe their general
characteristics.
• Describe neuro muscular junction
• Describe resting membrane potential & an action potential
• Explain the events that occur in muscle contraction and relaxation
Do you like to dance?
• There are around 650 skeletal
muscles within the typical
human body
 Major functions of the Muscular System
• Movement of the body
• Skeletal muscle responsible for overall movement
• Walking, running etc.
• Maintenance of posture
• Skeletal muscle constantly maintain tone which keeps us seating or standing
• Respiration
• Muscles of thorax carry out the necessary movements for respiration
• Production of body heat
• During contraction of skeletal muscles heat
 Major functions of the Muscular System
• Communication
• Involve in all aspect of communication
• Speaking, writing, gesturing & facial expression
• Constriction of Organs & Vessels
• Contraction of smooth muscles w/in the wall of organs
• Helps to propel & mix food & water in digestive tract
• Propel secretions from organs
• Regulate blood flow through vessels
• Contraction of the Heart
• Contraction of cardiac muscles causes the heart to beat
Properties of Muscle
• Contractility
• Excitability
• Extensibility
• Elasticity
Contractility
• The ability of muscle to shorten
with a force
• Contraction
Excitability
• Capacity of muscle to respond to
a stimulus
Extensibility
• that muscle can be stretched to
its normal resting length and
beyond to a limited degree
Elasticity
• the ability of muscle to recoil to
its original resting length after it
has been stretched
Types of Muscle Tissue
Skeletal Muscle
Features Skeletal Muscle
Location Attached to bones
Cell shape Very long and cylindrical (1 mm–4 cm
in length and may extend the entire
length of short muscles muscles; 12–
20 μm in diameter)
Nucleus Multiple, peripherally located
Special cell–cell attachments None
Striations Yes
Control Voluntary and involuntary (reflexes)
Capable of spontaneous contractions No
Function Body movement
 Smooth Muscle
Features Smooth Muscle
Location Walls of hollow organs, blood vessels
Cell shape eyes, glands, and skin
Nucleus Spindle-shaped (15–200 μm in length and 5–8 μm in diameter)
Special cell–cell Single, centrally located
attachments
Striations No
Control Gap junctions join some visceral smooth muscle cells together

Capable of Yes (some smooth muscle)

spontaneous
contractions
Function Food movement through the digestive tract, emptying of the urinary bladder, regulation of blood
vessel diameter, change in pupil size, contraction of many gland ducts, movement of hair, and
many other functions
 Cardiac Muscle
Features Cardiacl Muscle
Location Heart
Cell shape Cylindrical and branched (100–500
μm in length; 12–20 μm in diameter)
Nucleus Single, centrally located
Special cell–cell attachments Intercalated disks join cells to one
another

Striations Yes
Control Involuntary
Capable of spontaneous contractions Yes

Function Pumps blood; contractions provide

the major force for propelling blood
through blood vessels
Skeletal muscles
• Composed of skeletal muscle
fibers
• Each skeletal muscle fiber is a
single cylindrical cell containing
several nuclei located around
the periphery of the fiber near
the plasma membrane

Skeletal Muscle Fibers

Muscle fiber
• Largest human
muscle fiber
• 30 cm long
• 0.15mm in
diameter
 Sarcolemma
• Cell membrane of muscle fiber
• Multiple nuclei of muscle fiber
are located in deep portion of
sarcolema

Sarcolemma
Striated
• longitudinal section, alternating
light and dark bands give the
muscle fiber
• A single fiber can extend from
one end of a small muscle to the
other,
• but several muscle fibers
arranged end to end are
required to extend the full
length of most longer muscles.
Striations
Myoblasts
• Myoblasts are converted to
muscle fibers as contractile
proteins accumulate within their
cytoplasm
• The number of skeletal muscle
fibers remains relatively constant
after birth.
 External lamina
• A delicate covering surrounding
each muscle fiber
• composed primarily of reticular
fibers
• produced by the muscle fiber
Endomysium
• a delicate network of loose
connective tissue
• With numerous reticular fibers,
Endomysium

surrounds each muscle fiber

outside the external lamina
Perimysium
• Heavier connective tissue layer
that surrounds a bundle of Perimysium

muscle fiber with their

endomysium
Fasciculus
• Each bundle ensheathed by
perimysium is a muscle fasiculi
fasciculus
Epimysium
• Connective tissue sheath that
surrounds the skeletal muscle
Epimysium
• Third and heavier layer
• Dense, collagenous connective epimysium
tissue
• covers the entire surface of the
muscle
• Consists of many fasciculi
grouped together
T tubules
• Transverse tubules
• Occur at regular interval along
the muscle fiber
• Associated with highly organized
smooth endoplasmatic reticulum
called Sarcoplastic reticulum
Myofibrils
• Thread like structures
• Extend from one end of muscle
fiber to the other
• Consist of 2 major kinds of
protein
• Actin Myofilaments
• Myosin Myofilaments
Sarcomere
Electron Micrograph of skeletal muscle showing several Sarcomere
Sarcomere H zone A band I bands
Actin myofilaments
• akaThin filaments
• 3 components
• Actin
• Resemble 2 minute strands of pearl
twisted together
• Troponin
• Binding sites for Ca2+
• Tropomysin
• Located along the groove between
twisted strands of actin myofilaments
Myosin Myofilaments
• aka Thick myofilaments
• Resemble bundles of minute golf
clubs
• 3 important properties
• Head can bind to attachment sites
on the actin myofilaments
• Can bend and straiten during
contraction
• Can breakdown ATP, releasing
energy
Organization of Skeletal Muscle Components

Muscle fiber
Excitability of Muscle Fibers
• Cell have an electrical charge
difference across their cell
membrane
• Inside is (-), out is (+)
• In other words the cell
membrane is polarized
• The charge difference is called
resting membrane potential
 Resting Membrane Potential
• Occurs because of uneven ions
across the cell membrane
Resting Membrane Potential
 Resting Membrane Potential
• Develops for 3 reasons
1. K+ inside cell membrane is
higher than outside cell
membrane
2. Concentration of Na+ outside
cell membrane is higher than
inside cell membrane
3. The cell membrane is more
permeable to K+ than is to Na+
Depolarization
Repolarization
Action Potential
Nerve Supply and Muscle Fiber
Stimulation
 Motor Neurons
• Specialized nerve cells that
stimulate muscles to contract
• Generates action potentials that
travel to skeletal muscle fibers
• Axons of these neurons enter
muscles and send out branches
to several muscle fibers
Synapse
• Refers to cell to cell junction
between nerve cell and either
another nerve cell or an
effector cell, such as muscle
or gland.
•
Motor unit
• Consist of motor neuron and
skeletal muscle
• Fewer fiber in a motor unit of a
muscle, the greater the control
over that certain muscle
• Ex: hand have 1 or few muscle
per unit, whereas thigh muscles
have 1000 muscle fiber per
motor unit
 Neuromuscular junction
• Formed by cluster of enlarged
axon terminals
• Presynaptic terminal: enlarged
axon
• Synaptic cleft: space between
presynaptic terminal & muscle
fiber membrane
• Postsynaptic membrane: muscle
fiber membrane
• Synaptic vesicles: small vesicle
 Synaptic Vesicle
• Contain acetylcholine or Ach
• Ach Functions as
neurotransmitter
• The molecule released by a
presynaptic nerve cell stimulates
or inhibits a post synaptic cell
Muscle Contraction
Relaxed Sarcomere
Fully Contracted Sarcomere
 Breakdown of ATP during
Muscle Contraction

Pp 161
ATP
• Adenosine triphosphate
• High energy molecule produced
from the energy that is released
during metabolism of food.
 ADP
• Adenosine diphosphate
• an organic molecule involved in the
central part of the metabolism of
the cell that generates energy.
• It is interconvertible with the cell’s
energy currency, adenosine
triphosphate (ATP).
• The conversion back and forth
between these compounds is
critical for maintaining energy levels
in the cell.
Exposure of active sites
Cross bridge Formation
Power Stroke
Cross-Bridge Release
Hydrolysis of ATP
Recovery Stroke
Types of Muscle Contractions
Types of Muscle Contractions

Isometric Contraction Isotonic Contraction

• Length of muscle does not • Equal tension
change • The amount of tension produced
• But the amount of tension by the muscles is constant
increases during the process during contraction
• Responsible for the constant • But the length of muscle
length of body’s postural muscle decreases
such as the back
Concentric Contraction
• Are isotonic contraction
• Muscle tension increases as the
muscles shorten
Eccentric Contraction
• Are isotonic contractions
• Tension is maintained in a
muscle
• But he opposing resistance
causes the muscle to lengthen
• Used when slowly lowers heavy
weight
Isometric vs. Isotonic Contraction
 Smooth
Muscle and
Cardiac
Muscle
Comparison of Muscle Types
Smooth Muscles
• Small and spindled shape
• One nucleus per cell
• Less actin & myosin compare to
skeletal muscle
• Not striated
• Contract slowly
• Can regenerate spontaneously
(autorhythmicity)
• Under involuntary control
• Organized in form of layers
Cardiac Muscle
• Long striated and branching
• 1 nucleus/cell
• Organized distribution of Actin &
myosin myofilaments
• Striated but not distinctly as
skeletal muscles
• Autorhythmic contraction
Cardiac Muscle Cell
• Connected to one another by
intercalated disks
Skeletal Muscle Anatomy
General Principle
• Extends from one bone to
another
• Tendon
• Aponeuroses
Retinaculum
• Band of connective tissue that
holds down the tendon
Point of attachment
• 2 points of attachment
• Origin
• The head
• Stationary end of muscle
• Insertion
• End of muscle attached to the
bone undergoing the greatest
movement
• Belly muscle between the origin
and insertion
Point of attachment
• Agonist
• A muscle that accomplishes a
certain movement
• Antagonist
• A muscle acting in opposition to
an agonist
 Synergist, Prime Mover, Fixators
• Synergist
• Muscles working together to
produce a movement
• Prime movers
• Plays a major role in the synergy in
accomplishing the movement
• Fixators
• Muscle that holds the bone in
place
Synergistic Muscles
• are those with the same function, or those that
work together to perform a particular function.
• The biceps brachii flexes the forearm.
• The brachioradialis, with its origin on the
humerus and insertion on the radius, also flexes
the forearm. There is even a third flexor of the
forearm, the brachialis.
• You may wonder why we need three muscles to
perform the same function, and the explanation
lies in the great mobility of the hand
Shape of Muscles & Examples
Muscle of Facial Expression
Facial Expression
• Occipitofrontalis
• Raises eyebrows
• Connected by epicranial
aponeurosis
• Orbicularis oculi
• Encircle the eyes
• Tightly close eyelids
• Causes crow wrinkles at lateral
corners of the eyes
Facial Expression
• Orbicularis oris
• Encircles the mouth
• Kissing muscles
• Buccinator
• Encircles the mouth
• Flattens the cheeks in whistling
• Aka trumpeter’s muscle
Facial Expression
• Zygomaticus
• Elevate the upper lip & corner of
the mouth
• Levator labii superioris
• Elevates one side of upper lip
• Depressor anguli oris
• Depresses the corner of the
mouth
 Mastication
• Strongest muscles of the body
Mastication
• Temporalis and masseter
muscles
• Can be easily felt on the side of
the head during mastication
• Pterygoid muscles
• 2 pairs
• Deep to the mandible
Tongue
• Very important in mastication &
speech
• Moves around the mouth
• Holds food in place while the
teeth grinds the food
• Pushes food up to palate to
initiate swallowing
Swallowing muscles
• Includes, hyoid muscles, soft
palate, pharynx & larynx
Neck Muscles
Sternocleidomastoid
• Prime mover of lateral muscle
group
• Anterior & lateral side of the
neck
• Flexes the neck or extends the
head
Torticollis
• Wry neck
• Resulted from injury to one of
the sternocleidomastoid muscles
• Damage during birth
• Can be corrected by exercising
Trunk muscles
• Back muscle are very strong
• Maintain erect posture
• Erector spinae
• Group of muscle on each side of the
trunk responsible for keeping the back
straight
• Deep back muscles
• Located between spinous & transverse
processes of adjacent vertebrae
• Responsible for movements of vertebral
column
• Extension, lateral flexion & rotation
Thoracic muscles
• External intercostals
• Elevate the ribs during respiration
• Internal intercostals
• Contract during forced expiration
Diaphragm

Accomplished major
movement in thorax
during quiet breathing

Flattened the dome

during contraction
Study the following
• Neck and back
• Upper and Lower limb
• Abdomen
• Effects of aging on skeletal muscle
• Energy requirement for muscle
contraction
• Fatigue
• Effects of fiber type on activity
level
Reference