Muscular Tissue

These tissues are composed of long, tube-shaped fibres, which are structured in parallel arrays and are mainly composed of numerous fine fibrils, called myofibrils. Muscular tissues play a vital role in contraction, relaxation and other bodily movements. There are three different types of muscular tissues: skeletal muscles, smooth muscles, and cardiac muscles.

striated muscle

smooth muscle

Cardiac Muscles

• These are special kinds of involuntary muscles.

• The muscles of the heart are called Cardiac Muscles they perform rhythmic contraction and relaxation throughout our life.

• They are cylindrical in shape, they have branches and there is a single nucleus.

• Cardiac muscle consists of individual heart muscle cells connected by intercalated discs to work as a single functional organ

Muscular Tissue:

• Elongated cells

• This tissue is responsible for movement in our body.

• Contain special proteins called contractile proteins for movement

1) Skeletal muscles:

• They are called Striated muscles since these muscles show alternate light and dark bands or striations.

• The cells of this tissue are long, cylindrical, unbranched, and multinucleate.

• They are voluntary muscles(controlled on will)

• Present in the limbs.

2) Smooth muscles

• Unstriated muscles since they does not show the presence of dark and light bands.

• The cells are long with pointed ends (spindle-shaped) and uninucleate.

• They are involuntary muscles(not on our will)

• Present in the alimentary canal, iris of the eye, in ureters, and in the bronchi of the lungs.

3) Cardiac Muscles

• Show rhythmic contraction and relaxation throughout life.

• Heart muscle cells are cylindrical, branched, and uninucleate.

• They are involuntary muscles.

• Present in the heart.