The hydrazone of hydralazine and pyruvic acid (HPH) has been recognized as a quantitatively important metabolite of hydralazine in human plasma. We evaluated the disposition of [14C] HPH after its i.v. administration to normal, anephric and probenecid-pretreated rabbits. Renal clearance of HPH in normal rabbits exceeded the glomerular filtration rate by a factor of 3 to 4 and accounted for 80 to 90% of the total body clearance. Active tubular secretion was established by the effect of probenecid pretreatment to reduce the renal clearance of HPH by 80%. Total body clearance of HPH in anephric rabbits was 10% of that of normal animals, emphasizing the minor importance of metabolic conversion for the overall disposition of HPH. HPH in a maximum dose of 50 mumol/kg i.v. had no hypotensive effect in renal hypertensive rabbits and did not interfere with the subsequent hypotensive response to hydralazine. This HPH dose produced plasma levels at least 50 times in excess of those reported in humans after administration of therapeutic doses of parent hydralazine. HPH is consequently of negligible clinical significance, despite the relatively high plasma concentration of this metabolite which occurs after administration of parent hydralazine.