Our previous finding that dexamethasone-induced hypertension in rats is associated with enhanced reactivity of mesenteric arteries to arginine vasopressin but not to angiotensin II (Ang II) or norepinephrine has led us to postulate that vasopressin contributes to the development or maintenance of glucocorticoid-induced hypertension. To test this view, we investigated the effects of vasopressin, Ang II, norepinephrine, and the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)AVP on mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate with and without ganglionic blockade with hexamethonium and angiotensin I (Ang I) converting enzyme inhibition with MK 421 in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats made hypertensive by treatment with dexamethasone (1.8 mg/kg/wk for 14 days). Administration of vasopressin, Ang II, or norepinephrine (0.003-3 microgram i.v.) produced a dose-related increase in arterial blood pressure. The pressor response to vasopressin, but not to Ang II or norepinephrine, was greater in dexamethasone-treated than in vehicle-treated animals, and this difference became more pronounced in rats that received hexamethonium and MK 421. Administration of the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)AVP significantly reduced arterial pressure in dexamethasone-treated but not in vehicle-treated animals. Hexamethonium and MK 421 reduced arterial blood pressure in dexamethasone-treated as well as in vehicle-treated rats; however, arterial blood pressure remained higher in the former. Administration of the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist produced a greater reduction in arterial blood pressure in dexamethasone-treated than in vehicle-treated rats. These data suggest that vasopressin contributes to glucocorticoid-induced hypertension, which is probably due to enhanced vascular reactivity to the peptide.