Like the M 1 and M 3 muscarinic receptor, M 5 receptors are coupled with G proteins of class Gq that upregulate phospholipase C and, therefore, inositol trisphosphate and intracellular calcium as a signaling pathway.
Radioactive iodine is a very effective type of treatment for cancer of the thyroid gland. Thyroid cells absorb iodine. The radioactive iodine from the drink or capsule is absorbed into your body and picked up by the thyroid cancer cells wherever they are. So it can kill the cancer cells even if they have spread.
Iodine is used to prevent iodine deficiency and its consequences, including goiter. It is also used for treating a skin disease caused by a fungus (cutaneous sporotrichosis); treating fibrocystic breast disease; preventing breast cancer, eye disease, diabetes, and heart disease and stroke; and as an expectorant. Iodine is also used to for radiation emergencies, to protect the thyroid gland against radioactive iodides. Potassium iodide tablets for use in a radiation emergency are available as FDA-approved products (ThyroShield, Iosat) and on the Internet as food supplements.