Cardiac muscle cells
Cardiac Muscle Cells
Cardiac muscle cells, also known as cardiomyocytes or cardiac myocytes (pronounced: car-dee-o-my-o-cytes), are the muscle cells (myocytes) that make up the cardiac muscle (or heart muscle).
Etymology
The term "cardiomyocyte" is derived from the Greek words kardia meaning "heart" and myo meaning "muscle", and cyte derived from kytos meaning "hollow, as a cell or container".
Structure
Each cardiomyocyte is rod-shaped and approximately 100μm long and 10-20μm in diameter. Cardiomyocytes have a single central nucleus, unlike skeletal muscle cells which are multinucleated. They also have a unique structure called intercalated discs, which allow for rapid transmission of electrical signals and synchronized contraction of cardiac tissue.
Function
The primary function of cardiac muscle cells is to contract and relax to pump blood throughout the body. This is achieved through a process called the cardiac cycle, which includes systole (contraction) and diastole (relaxation).
Related Terms
- Cardiac muscle: The muscle tissue of the heart, made up of a network of cardiomyocytes.
- Intercalated discs: Specialized structures within cardiac muscle cells that allow for rapid electrical signal transmission.
- Cardiac cycle: The process of contraction (systole) and relaxation (diastole) that the heart undergoes to pump blood.
- Myocyte: A type of muscle cell, which includes cardiomyocytes, skeletal muscle cells, and smooth muscle cells.
This WikiMD.org article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.