This section of cardiac muscle shows the muscle cells cut in both cross (left half of image) and section (right half). The longitudinally sectioned fibers show longitudinal striations, caused by the myofibrils that fill the cytoplasm, but the cross striations are not preserved. The elongated nuclei are centrally located within the cell bodies. Note the dark, often jagged, lines that are perpendicular to the long axis of the fibers and which mark the location of an intercalated discs. The cross sectioned fibers show a punctate pattern. Each "dot" is a myofibril cut in cross section. The nuclei are centrally located and some are surrounded by a myofibril-free space, which contains cytoplasmic organelles, including mitochondria.
Stain = H&E.
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| Copyright by: Paul B. Bell, Jr. & Barbara Safiejko-Mroczka |
The University of Oklahoma