U N I T II

Textbook of Medical Physiology, 11th Edition

Chapter 8:
Contraction and Excitation of Smooth Muscle by Dr. Mudassar Ali Roomi (MBBS, M. Phil.)

GUYTON & HALL

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CLASSIFICATION OF THE MUSCULAR TISSUE

Non-striated muscle (smooth muscle) Striated muscle (cardiac, skeletal muscle)

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SMOOTH MUSCLE
No cross striations Location: in the walls of blood vessels, hollow viscera Function: controls the size of the lumen. Shape: each fiber is fusiform in shape. Diameter: 3-8 um Length: 15-200 um No well developed sarcotubular system. Caveolae are present. Nucleus: single, rod- shaped nucleus located in the centre of each cell.
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Cytoplasm of smooth muscle fiber

E/M shows that actin and myosin are present in the cytoplasm. Actin: diamter is 5-7 nm Myosin: diameter 12-16 nm actin/myosin ratio: 15/1 Desmin intermediate filaments are also present in the cytoplasm. (dia= 10 nm) Dense bodies: intermediate filaments cross over one another to form darkly staining patches.

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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

1. Location 2. Type of NM Junctions 3. Arrangement 4. Control 5. Membrane potential.

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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

1:

LOCATION:
MULTIUNIT:
Ciliary muscle of eye, Iris of eye and pilo-erector muscle, vas deference Wall of GIT, ureter, bile duct, uterus large blood vessels.

UNITARY:

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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

2: ARRANGEMENT:
UNITARY: Sheaths or bundles with gap junctions in between, so act as single unit. If one part is excited whole is excited.(functinal syncytium)
MULTIUNIT: Individual muscle fibers. Each fiber has insulating outer membrane with glycoprotein and collagen consistency. Independently each muscle fiber is excited.

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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

3: TYPE OF NM JUNCTION: UNITARY: Diffuse junction. No contact with nerve fiber. Neurotransmitter is released near the fiber. MULTIUNIT: Contact junction. One of the autonomic nerves form junction with muscle fiber and releases neurotransmitter like norepinephrine
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MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

4: CONTROL:
UNITARY:
Mainly non-nervous stimuli (hormonal stimuli like oxytocin and serotonin). Nervous stimuli are less important Show spontaneous contractions.
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MULTIUNIT:
Mainly through nervous stimuli. Does not show spontaneous contraction

MULTI-UNIT AND UNITARY SMOOTH MUSCLES

5: MEMBRANE POTENTIAL: UNITARY: 3 types:
Spike potential , Action potential with Plateau and spikes superimposed on Slow wave.

Types of potential in unitary smooth muscles

MULTIUNIT:
action potential is not produced. Only localized depolarization in response to excitation.
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EXCITATION-CONTRACTION COUPLING OF SMOOTH MUSCLE FIBERS

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LATCH PHENOMENON:
Smooth muscle can maintain prolonged contraction with little use of energy (300 times less than required for skeletal muscle). When smooth muscle is excited, it can maintain prolong contraction without further excitation. MECHANISM: Once the myosin light chain kinase is activated to initiate contraction, its further activation is inhibited. Contraction of smooth muscle continues till myosin phosphatase is activated. Myosin phosphatase is inhibited also when myosin kinase is inactivated. In Nutshell, we can say that activity of both myosin kinase and phosphatase is inhibited which forms the basis of Latch mehchanism.

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 The importance of the latch mechanism: it can maintain prolonged tonic contraction in smooth muscle for hours with little use of energy.

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STRESS RELAXATION
Smooth muscle can increase its size to accommodate increased volume, without significant increase in pressure /tension e.g we give massive blood transfusion to a person B.P increases but within few hours normal due to stress relaxation. Smooth muscle in vessel wall undergoes stress relaxation accommodate increased blood volume now even increased blood volume does not lead to increased blood pressure. Smooth muscle in stomach wall accommodate more food. Smooth muscle of urinary bladder (detrusor) can hold increased volume of urine. Smooth muscle of uterus can accommodate growing fetus.

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REVERSE STRESS RELAXATION:

Smooth muscle contracts around the reduced volume no significant fall in pressure.

e.g., in hemorrhage blood loss from body may cause shock but reverse stress relaxation of smooth muscle in vessel wall can prevent shock because it contracts around the reduced blood volume now even reduced blood volume adequately fills vascular system.
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EXCITATIONCONTRACTION COUPLING OF SMOOTH MUSCLE FIBERS

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Contraction-Relaxation myosin based regulation

Ca2+

Ca2+ Relaxation
calmodulin

MLC inactive
(dephosphorylated)

MLCP MLC active

(phosphorylated)

MLCK

Contraction
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MLCK, myosin light chain kinase MLCP, myosin light chain phosphatase

Mechanisms That Increase Intracellular Ca2+ Concentration in Smooth Muscle

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Important questions in smooth muscle physiology 1. Differentiate in a tabulated form b/w unitary (visceral) and multi-unit types of smooth muscle fibers? 5 2. Explain in a stepwise manner the steps of excitationcontraction coupling in smooth muscle fibers. 5 3. Define and explain the latch mechanism/phenomenon of smooth muscle contraction. What is its importance? 1+3+1 4. Differentiate b/w the excitation-contraction coupling (physiology/electrical & mechanical features) of skeletal and smooth muscle fibers. 5

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