Work in progress
Type of tissue: Striated, involuntary muscle
General Structure: It is mainly made of cylindrical-shaped contractile cells (Cardiomyocyte), usually branched at the ends (they have a Y shape). Between the cells, there’s some connective tissue, which contains the blood vessels. The cells are connected at the ends (not lateral) by structures called scalariform striae or intercalated discs. Their function is not only to physically connect the cells but also to conduct electrical impulses.
The nucleus (which is typically one, but can be up to two) is situated at the center.
If compared to the skeletal muscle tissue, the sarcoplasm (cytoplasm of the muscle cells), in which there are many lipidic drops and glycogen, is more abundant, and so are the mitochondria. On the other hand, the sarcoplasmic reticulum is less complicated.
Extracellular matrix: The extracellular matrix is organised as a
dense net of collagen, which also has several blood vessels, fundamental
to keeping the tissue alive.
Vascularization and innervation: The tissue is “fed” by several blood vessels that are situated in the ECM.
Location: The myocardium (the middle layer of the heart wall)
General Structure: It is mainly made of cylindrical-shaped contractile cells (Cardiomyocyte), usually branched at the ends (they have a Y shape). Between the cells, there’s some connective tissue, which contains the blood vessels. The cells are connected at the ends (not lateral) by structures called scalariform striae or intercalated discs. Their function is not only to physically connect the cells but also to conduct electrical impulses.
The nucleus (which is typically one, but can be up to two) is situated at the center.
If compared to the skeletal muscle tissue, the sarcoplasm (cytoplasm of the muscle cells), in which there are many lipidic drops and glycogen, is more abundant, and so are the mitochondria. On the other hand, the sarcoplasmic reticulum is less complicated.
Extracellular matrix: The extracellular matrix is organised as a
dense net of collagen, which also has several blood vessels, fundamental
to keeping the tissue alive.
Vascularization and innervation: The tissue is “fed” by several blood vessels that are situated in the ECM.
Location: The myocardium (the middle layer of the heart wall)
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The photo shows the elongated shape of the Cardiomyocytes. It was clearly taken by me as the not so great quality of the photo demonstrates.
The photo shows the elongated shape of the Cardiomyocytes. It was clearly taken by me as the not so great quality of the photo demonstrates.
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x500
The photo shows the elongated shape of the Cardiomyocytes. It was,again, clearly taken by me as the,again, not so great quality of the photo demonstrates.
The photo shows the elongated shape of the Cardiomyocytes. It was,again, clearly taken by me as the,again, not so great quality of the photo demonstrates.
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The photo shows the elongated shape of the Cardiomyocytes. The nucleus and the intercalated discs are also very visible.