Covers the appearance of skeletal muscle fibres on a ferric hematoxylin stain: long, unbranched, multinucleated cells with cross-striations of dark A and light I bands. Explains how to recognise them in longitudinal and cross-section, noting peripheral flattened nuclei, fascicles, and the endomysium and perimysium. Ends by contrasting them with cardiac muscle, which has branching cells, central nuclei and intercalated discs.
Inside: 1 section · 1 min
Topic 114 of 127 in the MU Sofia syllabus for Cytology (Dental Medicine, Year 1). The free AceMed note covers it in 1 section, about 94 words (1 min of reading).
In this note
Introduction
Introduction
Skeletal muscle fibres are long, multinucleated cells with cross-striations.
Stain
Iron hematoxylin (Heidenhain): nuclei and the dark A bands black; light I bands pale.
How to recognise it
Longitudinal section: long, unbranched cylindrical fibres with regular cross-striations (dark A and light I bands).
Many flattened nuclei at the edge of each fibre, just under the sarcolemma.
Cross-section: polygonal fibres with peripheral nuclei, grouped into fascicles.
Endomysium around each fibre and perimysium around each fascicle.
Don't confuse it with: cardiac muscle, which has branching cells, central nuclei and intercalated discs.
Theory: topics 61–62 (skeletal muscle).
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