The pressor response to lysine vasopressin was tested in groups of male Wistar, Brattleboro, Wistar-Kyoto, and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Moreover, the influence of sodium intake, angiotensin II, saralasin, captopril, norepinephrine, and isoproterenol on vasopressin pressor responses was evaluated. The right iliac artery and one or both femoral veins of the animals were catheterized under light ether anesthesia. The experiments were carried out following a 2-h stabilization period with the rats awake and semirestrained. Pressor responsiveness was evaluated acutely on the basis of dose-response curves (0.5-4 mU). In the Wistar rats, angiotensin II (10 and 30 ng/min) and isoproterenol (10 ng/min) markedly decreased the response to vasopressin, whereas variations in sodium intake and blood pressure per se did not seem to exert any influence. Norepinephrine (250 ng/min) slightly enhanced the pressor responsiveness to the smaller doses of lysine-vasopressin. Brattleboro rats with congenital diabetes insipidus were less sensitive to vasopressin than the other animals, and neither angiotensin II nor isoproterenol induced any change. In conclusion, the pressor responsiveness to vasopressin can vary considerably depending on several factors. These must be taken into account when evaluating the possible pressor role of vasopressin in experimental and clinical settings.