[Smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels and internal organs of the vertebrates in normal and pathologic states].

The article presents a review of present day literature data on the structure of the smooth-muscle cells of vertebrates in the norm and pathology. The smooth-muscle cells of blood vessels and internal organs of vertebrates possess a contractile apparatus the same as in striated muscle and are characterized by two main functions: contractile and synthetical. The latter manifests itself in the capability of the muscle cells to synthesize all the components of the interstitial matter. General pathology of the smooth muscle includes disorders of ultracirculation, metabolic disturbances, necrobiotic changes and necrosis of the muscle cells, compensatory-adaptive processes predominantly of the type of hyperplastic-hypertrophic reaction and regeneration.