Muscarinic receptor-mediated calcium changes in a rat model of facial nerve nucleus injury

The muscarinic receptor modulates intracellular free calcium ion levels in the facial nerve nucleus via different channels. In the present study, muscarinic receptor-mediated free calcium ions levels were detected by confocal laser microscopy in the facial nerve nucleus following facial nerve injury in rats. There was no significant difference in muscarinic receptor expression at the affected facial nerve nucleus compared with expression prior to injury, but muscarinic receptor-mediated free calcium ion levels increased in the affected side following facial nerve injury （P 〈 0.01）. At day 30 after facial nerve injury, 50 pmol/L muscarinic-mediated free calcium ion levels were significantly inhibited at the affected facial nerve nucleus in calcium-free artificial cerebrospinal fluid, and the change range was 82% of artificial cerebrospinal fluid （P 〈 0.05）. These results suggest that increased free calcium ion concentrations are achieved by intracellular calcium ion release, and that the transmembrane flow of calcium ions is also involved in this process.