This image of the plastic from the muscularis externa of the colon shows smooth muscle cut in longitudinal and cross section. In cross section, note that nuclei are not seen in every cell and that the diameter of the cells is not much greater than the diameter of their nuclei. In longitudinal sections, the nuclei are staggered in a diagonal pattern. Note that the nuclei in longitudinal section often are twisted, in a corkscrew-like pattern. This occurs when the muscles cell contract. Also note the unstained extracellular space around each cell, corresponding to the external and reticular laminae (formerly referred to as the plasmalemma) that cover muscle cells.
Stain = H&E.
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| Copyright by: Paul B. Bell, Jr. & Barbara Safiejko-Mroczka |
The University of Oklahoma