What makes the muscle of heart different from intestine?

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