The principal difficulty in determining the subtype of coronary vascular beta-receptors in vivo is to avoid the local metabolic coronary vasodilation that occurs secondary to activation of myocardial beta-receptors. Therefore, a nonbeating cardiac preparation without chronotropic or inotropic effects is needed. In this study, the coronary circulation was perfused at constant pressure in closed-chest chloralose-anesthetized dogs. The increase in coronary blood flow due to intracoronary injections of the combined beta 1- and beta 2-agonist isoproterenol was determined during prolonged asystoles after the cessation of cardiac pacing in atrioventricular heart-blocked animals. Both beta 1-selective (practolol and L 650,744) and beta 2-selective (ICI 118,551) antagonists blocked isoproterenol-induced coronary vasodilation. In contrast, isoproterenol vasodilation in the femoral circulation was blocked by beta 2- but not by beta 1-selective antagonists. In conclusion, both beta 1- and beta 2-receptors in coronary resistance vessels are stimulated by isoproterenol to produce vasodilation during prolonged asystoles, when cardiac chronotropic and inotropic effects are absent.