Hypercapnia (HC) improves systemic oxygen delivery (DO 2 ) and microvascular hemoglobin oxygenation of the mucosa (mHbO 2 ). Simultaneously, HC increases plasma levels of vasopressin. Although vasopressin is generally regarded a potent vasoconstrictor particularly in the splanchnic region, its effects on splanchnic microcirculation during HC is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of endogenous vasopressin on gastric mucosal oxygenation and hemodynamic variables during physiological (normocapnia) and hypercapnic conditions. Five dogs were repeatedly anesthetized to study the effect of vasopressin V 1A receptor blockade ([Pmp 1 ,Tyr(Me) 2 ]-Arg 8 -Vasopressin, 35 mg/kg) on hemodynamic variables and mHbO 2 during normocapnia or HC (end-tidal CO 2 70 mmHg). In a control group, animals were subjected to HC alone. mHbO 2 was measured by reflectance spectrophotometry, systemic DO 2 was calculated from intermittent blood gas analysis, and cardiac output was measured by transpulmonary thermodilution. Data are presented as meanGS.E.M. for nZ5 animals. During HC alone, DO 2 increased from 12G1 to 16G1 ml/kg per min and mHbO 2 from 70G4 to 80G2%. By contrast, additional vasopressin V 1A receptor blockade abolished the increase in mHbO 2 (80G2 vs 69G2%) without altering the increase in DO 2 (16G1 vs 19G 2 ml/kg per min). Vasopressin V 1A receptor blockade (VB) during normocapnia neither affected DO 2 (13G1 vs 14G1 ml/kg per min) nor mHbO 2 (75G3 vs 71G5%). Vasopressin V 1A receptor blockade abolished the increase in mHbO 2 during HC independent of DO 2 . Thus, in contrast to its generally vasoconstrictive properties, the vasopressin V 1A receptors seem to mediate the increase in gastric microcirculatory mucosal oxygenation induced by acute HC.