We investigated the role of glutathione S-transferases (enzymes known to biotransform organic nitrates) in the vascular action of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). Relaxation of phenylephrine-contracted rat aortic strips was assessed in the presence or absence of the glutathione S-transferase inhibitors Basilen Blue, bromosulfophthalein, Rose Bengal, hematin, chlorotriphenyltin, and (octyloxy)benzoylvinylglutathione. Whereas none of the inhibitors increased the EC50 for GTN relaxation, glutathione S-transferase activity in the 100,000 x g supernatant fraction of rat aorta was inhibited markedly by most of the inhibitors. In addition, GTN-stimulated activation of aortic guanylyl cyclase in broken-cell preparations was attenuated by all of the glutathione S-transferase inhibitors, suggesting a direct inhibitory action on guanylyl cyclase. In other experiments using aortic strips preexposed to phenylephrine, the inhibitors had no effect on GTN-induced cyclic GMP accumulation or on vascular biotransformation of GTN. In contrast, both Basilen Blue and bromosulfophthalein significantly inhibited GTN-induced relaxation of K(+)-contracted aortic strips, and Basilen Blue significantly inhibited GTN biotransformation in aortic strips preexposed to 25 mM K+. This may be due to a more favourable electrochemical gradient for entry of the inhibitors into membrane-depolarized tissues. We conclude that vascular glutathione S-transferases play a role in mediating the vasodilator actions of GTN in intact tissues in vitro, but that this appears to depend upon the nature of the contractile agent used in such studies.