Question

If muscle cells don’t divide, how can muscles repair themselves?

Answer 1

Muscle cells also known as myocytes are cells that make up the muscle tissue. They are known to develop from myoblasts and form muscles by the process of myogenesis.

Complete answer:
Muscle cells are of three main types- smooth muscle cell, skeletal muscle cell and cardiac muscle cell, these three types not only differ in function but also in structure. The cardiac muscle cells make up the chambers of the heart and comprise a single nucleus. The skeletal muscle cells are more widely distributed than cardiac muscle cells and help in the movement of the body.

Smooth muscle cells are known to control the involuntary movements of the body such as peristalsis the stomach as well as oesophagus. The muscle cell generally comprises a cytoplasm that is filled with myofibrils, glycogen which provides energy and myoglobin that helps in the storage of oxygen for muscular activities. Muscle cells can grow when exercised and shrink when not in use but they cannot divide to produce new cells. As a result of which when muscle cells get damaged they cannot regenerate new cells to combat the damage like most other cells, instead they grow in size and accumulate proteins, a phenomenon known as hypertrophy to repair themselves.

Note: The muscles play a huge role in the body, they undergo contraction that most of the time brings about movement thus helping the individual to move from one place to another. They also help to control the heart rate.