Renal blood flow (RBF) autoregulation was examined in untreated 10- and 40-wk-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) [mean arterial pressure (MAP) 125 +/- 4 and 167 +/- 7 mmHg] and in captopril-treated (7 days) 10- and 40-wk-old SHR (88 +/- 7 and 112 +/- 5 mmHg). Age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were used as controls (MAP 91 +/- 3 and 104 +/- 2 mmHg). The study was carried out in rats with and without acute uninephrectomy. In 10-wk-old acutely uninephrectomized animals, the lower pressure limit of autoregulation was 78 +/- 4 mmHg in WKY, 102 +/- 5 mmHg in SHR (P less than 0.02), and 78 +/- 7 mmHg in captopril-treated SHR (P greater than 0.10). The renal vascular resistance (RVR) was significantly elevated at the lower pressure limit of RBF autoregulation in untreated SHR (P less than 0.02) but became normal after treatment (P greater than 0.10). Neither uninephrectomy nor variation of RBF between different batches seemed to influence the lower pressure limit of RBF autoregulation. In 40-wk-old acutely nephrectomized animals, the lower pressure limit of RBF autoregulation in WKY was 85 +/- 4 mmHg, 128 +/- 3 mmHg in SHR (P less than 0.001), and 101 +/- 5 mmHg in captopril-treated SHR (P less than 0.01). RVR at the lower pressure limit was increased in untreated SHR (P less than 0.01), but fell to normal values during captopril treatment. Neither the uninephrectomy nor variation of RBF between different batches of rats seemed to influence the lower pressure limit of RBF autoregulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)