ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -Smooth muscle, found in the walls of the hollow internal organs such as blood vessels, the gastrointestinal tract, bladder, and uterus, is under control of the autonomic nervous system. Smooth muscle cannot be controlled consciously and thus acts involuntarily.

Detailed explanation-2: -Vascular smooth muscle is the type of smooth muscle that makes up most of the walls of blood vessels.

Detailed explanation-3: -Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) constitute the major cells in the media layer of arteries, and are critical to maintain the integrity of the arterial wall. They participate in arterial wall remodeling, and play important roles in atherosclerosis throughout all stages of the disease.

Detailed explanation-4: -The prime function of the arterial smooth muscle cell (SMC) in adult individuals is to contract and relax, thereby regulating blood flow to target tissues. However, in several vascular diseases, arterial SMCs in the adult vessel undergo major changes in structure and function.

Detailed explanation-5: -In single-unit smooth muscle a single cell in a bundle is innervated by an autonomic nerve fiber (myogenic). An action potential can be propagated through neighbouring muscle cells due to the presence of many gap junctions between the cells.