Muscle

Classification of muscles
• Muscles are classified by three different
methods, based on different factors:
• I. Depending upon the presence or absence of
striations
• II. Depending upon the control
• III. Depending upon the situation
1. Striated Muscle
• Striated muscle is the muscle which has a large
number of cross-striations (transverse lines).
• Skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle belong to this
category.
2. Non-striated Muscle
• which does not have cross-striations is called
non-striated muscle.
• It is also called plain muscle or smooth muscle.
• It is found in the wall of the visceral organs.
1. Voluntary Muscle Voluntary muscle is the muscle that
is controlled by the will.
• Skeletal muscles are the voluntary muscles.
• These muscles are innervated by somatic nerves.
2. Involuntary Muscle
• Muscle that cannot be controlled by the will is called
involuntary muscle.
• Cardiac muscle and smooth muscle are involuntary
muscles.
• These muscles are innervated by autonomic nerves.
• Depending upon situation, the muscles are
classified into three types:
• 1. Skeletal muscle 2. Cardiac muscle 3. Smooth
muscle.
 Structure of skeletal muscle fiber
• Muscle mass or muscle tissue is made up of a
large number of individual muscle cells or
myocytes.
• The muscle cells are commonly called muscle
fibers because these cells are long and slender
in appearance.
• Skeletal muscle fibers are multinucleated and
are arranged parallel to one another with
some connective tissue in between them.
• In the muscle, the muscle fibers are arranged
in various groups called bundles or fasciculi.
• Connective tissue sheath that covers each
fasciculus is called perimysium.
• Each muscle fiber is covered by a connective
tissue layer called the endomysium
 Muscle fibre
• Each muscle fiber is enclosed by a cell
membrane called plasma membrane, that lies
beneath the endomysium.
• It is also called sarcolemma .
• Cytoplasm of the muscle is known as
sarcoplasm.
• Structures embedded within the sarcoplasm
are: 1. Nuclei 2. Myofibril 3. Golgi apparatus 4.
Mitochondria 5. Sarcoplasmic reticulum 6.
Ribosomes 7. Glycogen droplets 8. Occasional
lipid droplets
 Myofibril
• Myofibrils or myofibrillae are the fine parallel
filaments present in sarcoplasm of the muscle
cell.
• Myofibrils run through the entire length of the
muscle fiber.
 MICROSCOPIC STRUCTURE OF A
MYOFIBRIL
• Light microscopic studies show that, each
myofibril consists of a number of two
alternating bands which are also called the
sections, segments or disks.
• These bands are formed by muscle proteins.
• The two bands are:
• 1. Light band or ‘I’ band.
• 2. Dark band or ‘A’ band.
 Sarcomere
• Sarcomere is defined as the structural and functional unit
of a skeletal muscle.
• It is also called the basic contractile unit of the muscle.
• Each sarcomere extends between two ‘Z’ lines of myofibril.
• Thus, each myofibril contains many sarcomeres arranged in
series throughout its length.
➢ Components
• Each myofibril consists of an alternate dark ‘A’ band and
light ‘I’ band .
• In the middle of ‘A’ band, there is a light area called ‘H’
zone
• Electron microscopic studies reveal that the
sarcomere consists of many threadlike
structures called myofilaments.
• Myofilaments are of two types:
• 1. Actin filaments 2. Myosin filaments.
 CONTRACTILE ELEMENTS (PROTEINS)
OF MUSCLE
• Actin and myosin
• Myosin filaments are formed by myosin
molecules.
• Actin filaments are formed by three types of
proteins called actin, tropomyosin and
troponin.
• These four proteins together constitute the
contractile proteins or the contractile
elements of the muscle.
• Each myosin head has two attachment sites.
• One site is for actin filament and the other
one is for one ATP molecule .
• Actin molecules are the major constituents of
the thin actin filaments. Each actin molecule is
called F-actin and it is the polymer of a small
protein known as G-actin.
• Each Factin molecule has an active site to
which the myosin head is attached
• In relaxed condition of the muscle, the
tropomyosin molecules cover all the active sites
of Factin molecules.
• „TROPONIN
• It is formed by three subunits:
• 1. Troponin I, which is attached to Factin
• 2. Troponin T, which is attached to tropomyosin
• 3. Troponin C, which is attached to calcium ions.
 Sarcotubular system
• Sarcotubular system is a system of
membranous structures in the form of vesicles
and tubules in the sarco plasm of the muscle
fiber.
• It surrounds the myofibrils embedded in the
sarcoplasm.
• It contain two structures
• 1. Ttubules 2. Ltubules or sarcoplasmic
reticulum.
❑ T-Tubules
• Ttubules or transverse tubules are narrow tubules formed by the
invagination of the sarcolemma.
• These tubules penetrate all the way from one side of the muscle
fiber to an another side.
• That is, these tubules penetrate the muscle cell through and
through.
• The Ttubules open to the exterior of the muscle cell. Therefore, the
ECF runs through their lumen.
❑ L-Tubules or Sarcoplasmic Reticulum
• Ltubules or longitudinal tubules are the closed tubules that run in
long axis of the muscle fiber, forming sarcoplasmic reticulum.
• These tubules form a closed tubular system around each myofibril
and do not open to exterior like Ttubules.
• Ltubules correspond to the endoplasmic
reticulum of other cells.
• At regular intervals, throughout the length of the
myofibrils, the L-tubules dilate to form a pair of
lateral sacs called terminal cisternae.
• Each pair of terminal cisternae is in close contact
with Ttubule.
• The Ttubule along with the cisternae on either
side is called the triad of skeletal muscle.
• Calcium ions are stored in Ltubule and the
amount of calcium ions is more in cisternae.
❑Function of T-Tubules
• Ttubules are responsible for rapid
transmission of impulse in the form of action
potential from sarcolemma to the myofibrils.
❑Function of L-Tubules
• Ltubules store a large quantity of calcium ions.
• When action potential reaches the cisternae of L-
tubule, the calcium ions are released into the
sarcoplasm.
• Calcium ions trigger the processes involved in
contraction of the muscle.
• The process by which the calcium ions cause
contraction of muscle is called excitation
contraction coupling
 Properties of skeletal muscle
• EXCITABILITY „
• DEFINITIONS
• Excitability is defined as the reaction or
response of a tissue to irritation or
stimulations.
• It is a physicochemical change.
• Stimulus is the change in environment. It is
defined as an agent or influence or act, which
causes the response in an excitable tissue.
• To excite a tissue, the stimulus must possess
two characters:
• 1. Intensity or strength 2. Duration.
• 1. Intensity
• Intensity or strength of a stimulus is of five
types: i. Subminimal stimulus ii. Minimal
stimulus iii. Submaximal stimulus iv. Maximal
stimulus v. Supramaximal stimulus
• Stimulus whose strength (or voltage) is
sufficient to excite the tissue is called
threshold or liminal or minimal stimulus
• 2. Duration
• Whatever may be the strength of the stimulus,
it must be applied for a minimum duration to
excite the tissue.
• However, the duration of a stimulus depends
upon the strength of the stimulus.
• For a weak stimulus, the duration is longer
and for a stronger stimulus, the duration is
shorter
EXCITABILITY CURVE OR STRENGTH-
DURATION CURVE
• 1. Rheobase
• Rheobase is the minimum strength (voltage) of stimulus,
which can excite the tissue.
• The voltage below this cannot excite the tissue, whatever
may be the duration of the stimulus.
• 2. Utilization Time
• Utilization time is the minimum time required for rheobasic
strength of stimulus (threshold strength) to excite the
tissue.
• 3. Chronaxie
• Chronaxie is the minimum time required for a stimulus with
double the rheobasic strength (voltage) to excite the tissue.
 Contractility
• Contractility is the response of the muscle to a
stimulus.
• Contraction is defined as the internal events of
muscle with change in either length or tension of
the muscle fibers. „
• TYPES OF CONTRACTION
• Muscular contraction is classified into two types
based on change in the length of muscle fibers or
tension of the muscle:
• 1. Isotonic contraction 2. Isometric contraction.
• 1. Isotonic Contraction
• Isotonic contraction is the type of muscular contraction in
which the tension remains the same and the length of the
muscle fiber is altered (iso = same: tonic = tension).
• Example: Simple flexion of arm, where shortening of
muscle fibers occurs but the tension does not change.
• 2. Isometric Contraction
• Isometric contraction is the type of muscular contraction in
which the length of muscle fibers remains the same and
the tension is increased.
• Example: Pulling any heavy object when muscles become
stiff and strained with increased tension but the length
does not change.
• Based on contraction time, the skeletal
muscles are classified into two types:
• 1. Red muscles 2. Pale muscles.
• Muscles, which contain large quantity of
myoglobin are called red muscles.
• These muscles are also called slow muscles or
slow twitch muscles.
• Red muscles have large number of type I
fibers.
• The contraction time is longer in this type of
muscles. Example: Back muscles and
gastrocnemius muscles.
• Pale Muscles
• Muscles, which contain less quantity of
myoglobin are called pale muscles or white
muscles.
• These muscles are also called fast muscles or fast
twitch muscles.
• Pale muscles have large number of type II fibers.
Contraction time is shorter in this type of
muscles.
• Examples: Hand muscles and ocular muscles.
 Refractory period
• Refractory period is the period at which the
muscle does not show any response to a
stimulus.
• It is because already one action potential is in
progress in the muscle during this period.
• The muscle is unexcitable to further
stimulation until it is repolarized.
• Refractory period is of two types. 1. Absolute
refractory period 2. Relative refractory period
• 1. Absolute Refractory Period
• Absolute refractory period is the period during
which the muscle does not show any response
at all, whatever may be the strength of
stimulus.
• 2. Relative Refractory Period
• Relative refractory period is the period, during
which the muscle shows some response if the
strength of stimulus is increased to maximum.