Smooth muscle features:
Where is it located in the body?
What is the cell shape and arrangement?
Is it voluntary or involuntary?
Where is the nuclei and how many is it?
Is the striations present or absent?
What are the special features?
Smooth muscle is located in the walls of hollow organs such as the stomach, intestines, bladder, and blood vessels.
The cells are spindle-shaped and arranged in sheets or layers.
Smooth muscle is involuntary, meaning it is not under conscious control.
The nuclei are located centrally in the cell and there is usually one nucleus per cell.
Smooth muscle cells do not have striations like skeletal muscle cells.
Special features of smooth muscle cells include the ability to contract over a wide range of lengths, spontaneous contractions, and the ability to maintain tone even in the absence of nerve stimulation.