smooth muscle

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. involuntary muscle tissue in the walls of viscera and blood vessels, consisting of nonstriated, spindle-shaped cells.

---

smooth muscle British  

noun

1. muscle that is capable of slow rhythmic involuntary contractions: occurs in the walls of the blood vessels, alimentary canal, etc Compare striped muscle

---

Etymology

Origin of smooth muscle

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

As calcium levels fall, the smooth muscles in blood vessel walls relax, causing vasodilation and a drop in blood pressure.

From Science Daily

They start to secrete renin and substances that trigger other changes: New nerves grow like weeds; immature smooth muscle cells build up; scars form around the tiny blood vessels, called arterioles; and inflammatory cells infiltrate.

From Science Daily

Previous studies had found that smooth muscle cells metamorphose into different types of cells inside these atherosclerotic plaques and multiply to make up most cells within the plaques.

From Science Daily

"We discovered that our genetic makeup impacts the ways smooth muscle cells secrete proteins that provide strength to plaques and prevent them from rupturing and causing heart attacks and strokes."

From Science Daily

But in roughly half of patients, the protein also extensively replaces the smooth muscle of blood vessel walls, rendering them brittle.

From Science Magazine