Equine Physiology Workbook

Repair of Muscle Tissue

Skeletal Muscle Repair

Mature skeletal muscle fibres have lost the ability to undergo cell division. Growth of skeletal muscle after birth is mainly due to Hypertrophy (the enlargement of existing cells) rather than Hyperplasia (increase in the number of fibres). Cells called satellite cells divide slowly and fuse with existing fibres to assist both in muscle growth and in repair of damaged fibres. Therefore, skeletal muscle tissue can regenerate only to a limited extent.

Cardiac Muscle Repair

A few stem cells migrate from the bloodstream to repair cardiac muscle by regeneration. The majority of repair occurs by fibrosis , with limited hypertrophy .

Smooth Muscle Repair

Smooth muscle cells retain the greatest ability for repair following damage. Growth and repair occurs by hypertrophy and hyperplasia (they retain their capacity for cell division, ex: uterus).

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