Cardiac vs. Intestinal Muscle: Structure, Function & Differences
Structure
* Cardiac muscle: Striated, branched, uninucleated, intercalated discs
* Intestine muscle: Smooth, spindle-shaped, uninucleated, no intercalated discs
Function
* Cardiac muscle: Contracts and relaxes to pump blood
* Intestine muscle: Regulates the movement of food through the intestines
Innervation
* Cardiac muscle: Innervated by the autonomic nervous system
* Intestine muscle: Innervated by the enteric nervous system
Metabolism
* Cardiac muscle: Utilizes fatty acids and glucose for energy
* Intestine muscle: Utilizes glucose and glutamine for energy
Contraction
* Cardiac muscle: Contracts in a coordinated fashion due to the presence of intercalated discs
* Intestine muscle: Contracts in a non-coordinated fashion
Refractoriness
* Cardiac muscle: Has a long refractory period, which prevents it from contracting too rapidly
* Intestine muscle: Has a short refractory period, which allows it to contract more frequently
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