Angiotensin II (AII) and thyreoliberin (TRH) have recently been shown to stimulate intracellular cAMP formation in rat lactotroph cells, in addition to their already documented coupling to phospholipase C. The effect on intracellular cAMP is unaffected by pertussis toxin (PTX) and is not due to a direct coupling to adenylate cyclase (AC); it results instead from a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent process. In contrast, when tested in membrane preparations, AII, but not TRH, induces a PTX-sensitive inhibition of AC. The present work indicates that AII, but not TRH, is also able to inhibit intracellular cAMP formation in mixed as well as in lactotroph-enriched cells. Two conditions are required to reveal this effect: desensitization of PKC by prior exposure to TPA and concomitant stimulation of CAMP level. This effect is observed only in the presence of vasoactive intestinal peptide, whose receptor is directly coupled to AC, but not in the presence of other AC-stimulating agents such as cholera toxin and forskolin. This AII inhibitory effect is dose dependent and sensitive to PTX as is AII membrane inhibition of AC activity. PTX also reverses DA inhibition of AC, on both membrane preparations and intact cells. However different G proteins seem to be involved in the negative coupling of AII and DA receptors, since both effects do not exhibit the same PKC sensitivity in entire cells and GTP dependency in membrane preparations. An inhibitory coupling of the AII receptor with AC thus exists in intact cells but is masked by PKC interactions. Under specific conditions, this AII inhibition of intracellular cAMP formation might be implicated in the regulation of PRL secretion.