3-Amino-4-[4-[4-(1-piperidinomethyl)-2-pyridyloxy]-cis-2-butenylamino] 3-cyclobutene-1,2-dione hydrochloride (IT-066) showed a highly potent and long last ing H2-receptor blocking action in guinea pig atria. The inhibitory effect of IT-066 on the histamine-induced positive chronotropic response increased concentration and time-dependently. A short period of treatment with IT-066 shifted the concentration response curve of histamine to the right in parallel, without decreasing the maximal response to histamine. With prolongation of the treatment, the concentration-response curve shifted further to the right with time-dependent suppression of the maximal re sponse to histamine. The inhibitory effect of IT-066 was irreversible. The dissociation constant for histamine (KA) was not changed by prolongation of the time of incuba tion with IT-066. The dissociation constant for IT-066 (KB) was decreased with the prolongation of the treatment. Kinetic analysis of the time-dependent inhibition showed a two-step reaction: the first was reversible and the second was irreversible. Preincubation of the atria with ranitidine, however, protected the H2-receptor from the apparently irreversible antagonism of IT-066. These results suggest that IT-066 has a time-dependent and irreversible interaction with the H2-receptor and that the in teraction may be responsible for the potent and long lasting H2-receptor blocking ac tion of IT-066.The discovery of burimamide, a prototype H2-receptor antagonist (1), has prompted in tensive investigations to clarify the physiologi cal and pharmacological involvement of his tamine in the regulation of gastric acid secre tion (2-4). These have included a search for more useful H2-receptor antagonists for the treatment of peptic ulcer with gastric hyper acidity (5-7). A H2-receptor antagonist with the imidazole group in its structure, cimeti dine, was the first drug to be used for the clini cal treatment of ulcer patients. Since then, H2-receptor antagonists, ranitidine (8) and famotidine (9), which do not have the imida zole group in their structure have been used, and a series of diaminothiadiazole oxide and dioxides (10, 11) have been reported. Recent ly, new H2-receptor antagonists, L-643,441, lamtidine (AH 22216), loxitidine (AH 23844) and BMY-25368 (SK&F 94482), which contain a piperidinomethylphenyl moiety in their structure have been reported (6,7,12). These compounds produced unsurmountable antago nism in guinea pig atria and showed very po tent and long lasting inhibition of gastric acid secretion. The mechanism, however, has not