visceral muscle

Smooth muscle, also known as visceral muscle, is a type of muscle tissue that lacks cross stripes under microscopic examination. It is characterized by narrow, spindle-shaped cells, each with a single, centrally located nucleus. Unlike striated muscle, smooth muscle contracts slowly and involuntarily.123

This type of muscle is crucial for the functioning of internal organs and the digestive system, forming the musculature of hollow organs such as the digestive tract and bladder. Its constrictive capabilities are essential for the normal operation of the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and reproductive systems. While it contracts more slowly than skeletal muscle, it can generate comparable force using significantly less chemical energy. Smooth muscle contraction, like in striated muscle, results from the interaction of actin and myosin proteins, but the arrangement and interaction of these proteins give smooth muscle its unique contractile properties.123