To understand the interplay between microcirculatory control and carotid body (CB) function, we simultaneously measured carotid body microvascular PO2 (CBM PO2) and chemosensory activity in the cat in vivo under several experimental conditions. Cats were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium, paralyzed, and artificially ventilated. CBs were exposed, and steady-state CBM PO2 was measured by the O2-dependent quenching of the phosphorescence of Pd-meso-tetra-(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine, which was administered intravenously. A few fibers of the carotid sinus nerve were used to record chemosensory discharges. At arterial PO2 (PaO2) of 103.4 +/- 4.1 Torr, CBM PO2 was 52.5 +/- 3.6 Torr (n = 9). Graded lowering of PaO2 from 160 to 50 Torr resulted in nearly proportional decreases in CBM PO2, but at lower PaO2 the decrease in CBM PO2 became more substantial. As PaO2 decreased, chemosensory discharge increased in parallel with CBM PO2. Hypercapnia and hypocapnia did not significantly change the relationship between PaO2 and CBM PO2, although the chemosensory discharge responded significantly. CBM PO2 and chemosensory discharge were not affected by hemorrhagic hypotension until arterial blood pressure fell below approximately 50 Torr and then CBM PO2 decreased and chemosensory discharge increased. The lack of a significant effect of hemorrhagic hypotension indicated that O2 delivery to CB was almost independent of the systemic blood pressure. Taken together, the observations suggest that CB microcirculation and PO2 are subject to control by intrinsic mechanisms and that CBM PO2 is compatible with oxidative metabolism playing a role in O2 chemoreception during hypoxia.