SMOOTH MUSCLES
PRESENTED BY ASNA K Y & BHAVANA C R
Definition
The smooth muscles are invouluntary in function.
They are different from skeletal muscle by the following features:
▪ Z-line is not well defined.
▪ Sarcoplasmic reticulum is not well developed.
▪ Regulatory protein troponin is absent.
Arrangement of actin and myosin does not follow a regular pattern.
Show continuous, irregular contractions called tonus or tone.
Types of smooth muscles
Unitary or single- unit smooth muscle
Multiunit smooth muscles.
❖ Single-unit(visceral) smooth muscle:
▪ It consists of thousands of muscle fibres.
▪ It has low resistance gap junction and functions as a single unit.
▪ Gap junction permit free passage of lons from one fibre to the next.
▪ Electrical activity arising in one muscle fibre will spread rapidly to the
connected fibres. Thus, the entire muscle bundle contracts a single unit. It is
also called sycytial smooth muscle.
▪ It is present in the intestine,uterus and ureter.
❖ Multiunit smooth muscles:
Multi unit smooth muscle is made up of discrete individual fibres. Each fibre
has a separate innervation.
▪ The individual fibre can contract independently.
▪ These muscles perform fine and graded contraction. The contraction are
localized.
▪ Responded to the hormone and circulating substances.
▪ It is present in the iris, ciliary muscle of the eye and large airways in the
lungs.
Nerve supply to smooth muscles
The visceral smooth muscles are supplied by two divisions of the
autonomic nervous system.
The function of these nerves is to modify activity in the muscle rather than
to initiate the action.
Electrical potential in smooth muscles:
The membrane potential does not show a true resting value.
It is low when the tissue is active and high when it is inhibited.
The average resting membrane potential is above a -50mV.
Smooth muscles different types electrical activities:
▪ Slow wave potential.
▪ Spikes potential.
▪ Action potential.
Slow wave potential:
▪ Slow waves are generated by pace maker cells called interstitial cells of cajal.
▪ The waves spread to the adjsent cells and regulate the motility.
▪ Motility initiated by the influx of calcium ions.
▪ Slow waves, on becoming strong, initiate action potential.
▪ They are unable to produce muscle contraction.
Spike potential:
▪ It occurs in unitary smooth muscles by electrical sitmulation, mechanical
stretch. And action of hormones.
▪ It has a duration of 10-50ms.
Action potential:
▪ Action potential of smooth muscles are similar to skeletal muscles.
▪ There is initial action potential with a plateau.
▪ The initial phase is similar to the spike potential.
▪ However, the repolarization is delyed.
Differences
Singal unit smooth muscles Multi unit smooth muscles
Muscles fibers are arranged as sheets or Muscle fibers are discrete (individual
bundles. fibers).
All fibers are contract as a single unit. Muscle fibers contract as a separate
unit.
Gap junctions are present.
Very few or no gap junction present.
Exhibits pacemaker activity.
Do not have a pacemaker activity’
Stretch of muscle results in contraction.
Stretch does not produce any
Present in hollow visceral organs. (eg: contraction.
urinary bladder).
Present in ciliary muscle, iris, wall of large
blood vessels
MOLECULAR BASIS OF SMOOTH
MUSCLES CONTRACTION
Smooth muscle contraction
Activating stimulus
Entry of calcium into the muscle cell.
Binding of calcium to calmodulin forming complex.
Activation of calcium-calmodulin-dependent light chain kinases.
Phosphorylation of myosin.
Binding of actin and myosin, increased ATPase activity.
Shortening of muscle resulting in contraction.
Myosin light chain phosphate-dephosphorylates myosin.
Relaxation of the muscle.
PLASTICITY:LENGTH-TENSION
RELATIONSHIP
The special character of smooth muscle is variability of the tension at a
given length.
Stretch of the smooth muscle initially results in contraction.
However if the muscle is stretched further, it relaxes.
It is called as plasticity.
Plasticity of smooth muscle can be demonstrated by observing the
response of bladder to its distension.
NEUROTRASMITTER ACTING ON
SMOOTH MUSCLES
Autonomic nerves innervating smooth muscles secrete acetylcholine and
norepinephrine as neurotransmitters.
They are excitatory on smooth muscle in some locations and inhibitory in
some other locations.
The action of neurotransmitter is produced by binding to receptors.
The action of neurotransmitter is dependent on the type of receptor acted
up on the neurotransmitter in the given location.
However if acetylcholine is excitatory in one location , norepinephrine will
be inhibitory in the same location.
SMOOTH MUSCLE RELAXANTS
Nitric oxide, initially identified as endothelium-derived relaxing factor, is
produced by endothelial cells of blood vessels.
It relaxes the vascular smooth muscles
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