We designed the present study to clarify whether the intracellular pH change by ammonium chloride influences endothelium-dependent relaxation in thoracic aorta of 9-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. Intracellular alkalinization with 3 mmol/L ammonium chloride, which did not affect resting vascular tone, attenuated acetylcholine-induced relaxation but not nitroglycerin vasodilation. Acetylcholine relaxation was more inhibited by a shorter duration of treatment. Thus, change in intracellular pH may be important in the effect because the alkalinizing effect of ammonium chloride disappears gradually. In support of this, the proton ionophore nigericin abolished the effect. Also, amiloride shortened the effect of ammonium chloride, suggesting that intracellular pH plays a role: sodium-proton antiport antagonizes the disappearance of ammonium chloride-induced intracellular alkalinization. The synthesis of vasoconstrictor prostaglandins, such as thromboxane A 2 , may be stimulated during acetylcholine A bnormal sodium-proton (Na + -H + ) antiport and /\ intracellular pH (pH,) have been reported in A. ^ hypertensive 1 and diabetic 14 subjects. It has been reported that increased pH, enhances and decreased pHi suppresses vascular tone, reactivity, or both. 58 Thus, a change in pH, might be important in the abnormal regulation of vascular tone in both diseases. The pH; of vascular smooth muscle cells may be important because change in the pH, of smooth muscle cells has been demonstrated to play a role in the regulation of vascular tone. 67 On the other hand, abnormal endothelial function may also result from increased pH, of endothelium because a few investigators have reported that endothelial pH, may affect vascular tone.5 -8 High CO 2 tension, which causes acidemia, attenuated norepinephrine contraction, which was partially normalized by denudation of the inner surface of the aorta. 5 Moreover, in a recent study, 8 we altered acetylcholine-induced relaxation by modifying Na + -H + antiport with low Na + medium and amiloride. However, it has not yet been concluded whether pHj change in endothelial cells contributes to the regulation of vascular tone.Vasoconstrictor prostaglandins have been suggested to contribute to vasoconstriction induced by intracellular alkalinization. Vasoconstriction with alkalosis was accompanied by increased levels of thromboxane B 2 and 6-ketoprostaglandin F la in perfused rabbit lungs. © 1994 American Heart Association, Inc.treatment, resulting in the attenuation of acetylcholine relaxation, because the relaxation was abolished by treatment with the phospholipase A 2 inhibitor quinacrine, cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin, prostaglandin H 2 /thromboxane A 2 receptor antagonist S1452, and thromboxane A 2 synthase inhibitor dazmegrel. Phospholipase A 2 may contribute to the effect of intracellular alkalinization, which is compatible with the fact that the optimal pH of phospholipase A 2 is neutral to alkaline. In addition, superoxide dismutase attenuated the effect of ammonium chloride....