Temple University School of Medicine

Cardiac Muscle
Atlas
 Slide 26 Med
Image 3/5

Low High
Cardiac Muscle - Longi Sections, Low, Medium, High mags
Cardiac muscle like skeletal is striated though the striations are usually not as
well defined. In addition, individual cardiac muscle cells are branched
(arrows) and have centrally located nuclei (N) (may be binucleate). The
endomysial connective tissue carries the richest blood supply of all three
muscle types.
 Med
Slide 26,
Image 4/5

Low High
Cardiac Muscle - cross section, low - high mags.
In cross section the centrally placed nuclei (arrows) and the variety of sizes of
the sectioned cells are seen. Due to branching cardiac muscle cells cut in
cross section do not appear as homogeneous in size and shape (circle) as
skeletal muscle cells.
 Slide 68
Image 1/1

id id

Cardiac muscle -high mag.

The striations (arrow) of the branching cardiac muscle cells as well as the
intercalated disks (id) can be seen. Just like skeletal muscle, cardiac
muscle has A, I, and H bands as well as M and Z lines.
 EM
Cardiac
muscle

In cardiac muscle, the cells connect to one another via intercalated disks
(arrows). These disks consist of junctional complexes that include: gap
junctions, desmosomes, and fasciae adherentes.
 Slide 32
Image 1/4
e
M

Cardiac muscle -low magnification

Just under the endocardium (e) is a layer of connective tissue that contains
Purkinje cells (P), cells of the cardiac conduction system. Deep to the
Purkinje cells is the myocardium (m) composed of cardiac muscle cells.
 Slide 32
Image 2/4
cm
p

Cardiac muscle -higher magnification

The typical characteristics of ordinary cardiac muscle cells (cm) include the
branching as well as centrally placed nuclei. In contrast Purkinje cell (p)
cytoplasm stains more lightly due to fewer organelles and large
accumulations of glycogen . These are also bigger cells.
 Slide 32 n
Image 3/4

bn

Cardiac muscle -high magnification

This high power view of Purkinje cells (p) demonstrates the lighter cytoplasmic
staining of these cells due to fewer organelles, glycogen, and marginal
myofibrils. It is also possible to find binucleate (bn) Purkinje cells. Also
note the prominent nucleolus (n) in these Purkinje cells.
 Slide 32
Image 4/4
id

id
id

Cardiac muscle -high magnification

Another characteristic of cardiac muscle tissue is the intercalated disk (id), a
region where two cardiac muscle cells contact each other via junctional
complexes. This band is a region where the adjacent cell membranes and
their junctions stain darkly.