Question

Differentiate between striated and unstriated muscles on the basis of their function and location in the body. Also compare their structure.

Answer 1

Hint: Muscle is a soft tissue found in most animals. Muscle cells contain protein filaments of actin and myosin that slide past one another, producing a contraction that changes both the length and the shape of the cell. Muscles function to produce force and motion.

Complete answer:

	Striated muscle	Unstriated muscle
Function	-Striated muscles are highly organized tissue that converts chemical energy to physical work. -The primary function of striated muscles is to generate force and contract in order to support respiration, locomotion, and posture (skeletal muscle) and to pump blood throughout the body (cardiac muscle).	-Unstriated muscle plays an important role in the regulation of flow in such tissues for example aiding the movement of food through the digestive system via peristalsis.-It helps in involuntary actions.
Location	-Striated muscle is found in the skeletal and cardiac muscles.-Most skeletal muscles are attached to bones by bundles of collagen fibers known as tendons. Skeletal muscle includes skeletal muscle fibers, blood vessels, nerve fibers, and connective tissue.-Cardiac muscle is found in the heart.	-Unstriated muscles are found in the walls of hollow organs, including the stomach, intestines, urinary bladder, and uterus, and in the walls of passageways, such as the arteries and veins of the circulatory system, and the tracts of the respiratory, urinary, and reproductive systems.-In the eyes, the ciliary muscle, a type of smooth muscle, dilate, and contract the iris and alter the shape of the lens.
Structure	-Striated muscle tissue is a muscle tissue that features repeating functional units called sarcomeres.-They are voluntary muscles.-Skeletal muscle is wrapped in epimysium, allowing structural integrity of the muscle despite contractions. The perimysium organizes the muscle fibers, which are encased in collagen and endomysium, into fascicles. Each muscle fiber contains sarcolemma, sarcoplasm, and sarcoplasmic reticulum. The functional unit of a muscle fiber is called a sarcomere.-Cardiac muscle lies in between the epicardium and the endocardium in the heart. Cardiac muscle fibers generally only contain one nucleus, located in the central region. They contain many mitochondria and myoglobin.	-Unstriated muscles do not have sarcomeres and are smooth muscles.-They are smooth and involuntary muscles.-Smooth muscle can be described as being spindle-like with tapered ends. -Smooth muscle has fewer mitochondria.-Smooth muscle is fundamentally different from skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle in terms of structure, function, regulation of contraction, and excitation-contraction coupling.-Smooth muscle cells known as myocytes, have a fusiform shape and can tense and relax. -Smooth muscle tissue tends to demonstrate greater elasticity and function within a larger length-tension curve than striated muscle. This ability to stretch and still maintain contractility is important in organs like the intestines and urinary bladder.

Note: Striated muscle tissue contains T-tubules which enables the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Smooth muscle is divided into two subgroups; the single-unit (unitary) and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit cells, the whole bundle or sheet contracts as a syncytium.