One-kidney rabbits were subjected to renal artery stenosis, and acute experiments were performed 3 days later on conscious animals; one-kidney rabbits without renal artery stenosis served as controls. Rabbits with 3-day renal artery stenosis were normotensive and had normal values for plasma renin activity. Intravenous infusion of arginine vasopressin at 5 mU.min-1.kg body wt-1 for 5 min resulted in a significantly (P less than 0.01) greater increase in mean arterial pressure and total peripheral resistance (TPR) in the renal artery stenosis rabbits than in the controls. Infusion of the angiotensin II (AII) competitive antagonist, [Sar1, Ile8]AII, before the vasopressin infusion abolished the hyperresponsiveness to vasopressin in the renal artery stenosis rabbits and resulted in changes in mean arterial pressure and TPR that were approximately of the same magnitude as the controls. Infusion of [SAr1, Ile8]AII before vasopressin infusion in control rabbits did not alter the cardiovascular responses to vasopressin. Because previous studies have shown that 3-day renal artery stenosis rabbits have exaggerated pressor responses to norepinephrine and that this hyperresponsiveness to norepinephrine is blocked by [Sar1, Ile8]-AII, the present study with vasopressin provided evidence that the increased responsiveness in this model is not specific for a single pressor agent. These studies also demonstrated that AII plays an important role in mediating the exaggerated pressor responses to vasopressin in this prehypertensive model.