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    Learn/Histology/Smooth muscle — bladder wall (detrusor)
    Normal·Renal/Urinary·Bladder

    Smooth muscle — bladder wall (detrusor)

    Stain: H&E·Magnification: 20x·Tissue: Smooth muscle·3 labeled regions
    Smooth muscle — bladder wall (detrusor) histology — Renal/Urinary, Bladder, H&E
    Wikimedia Commons · File:Smooth muscle (histology slide).jpg by Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smooth_muscle_(histology_slide).jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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    Description

    Spindle-shaped cells with single central nuclei and no striations. Involuntary; can undergo hyperplasia (unlike striated muscle which only hypertrophies).

    Labeled regions (3)

    1. 1
      Spindle-shaped fiber

      Tapered ends, single central nucleus; cells overlap so adjacent slices look like 'eyes'.

    2. 2
      Central elongated nucleus

      Cigar-shaped; contracts into a corkscrew during contraction.

    3. 3
      No striations

      Distinguishes from cardiac + skeletal — actin/myosin not in register.

    More renal/urinary histology

    Renal cortex — glomerulus + tubules
    Renal cortex — glomerulus + tubules
    Kidney
    Transitional epithelium (urothelium) — urinary bladder
    Transitional epithelium (urothelium) — urinary bladder
    Bladder