Abstract-5-Hydroxytryptamine 1B (5-HT 1B ) receptors have been implicated in mediating arterial contraction to 5-HT.Additionally, the 5-HT 1B receptor has been reported to be "unmasked" by depolarizing stimuli. We hypothesized that 5-HT 1B receptors in arteries from hypertensive animals, arteries reported to have a depolarized resting membrane potential in smooth muscle cells, are unmasked and participate in the supersensitivity observed to 5-HT in hypertension. We used the isolated tissue bath apparatus and examined the response of superior mesenteric arteries from normotensive sham and hypertensive deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt rats. The 5-HT 1B agonists CP93129 and sumatriptan (10 Ϫ9 to 10 Ϫ5 mol/L) caused a maximal contraction (50Ϯ12% of phenylephrine [10 Ϫ5 mol/L] contraction) in arteries from DOCA-salt rats; no contraction was observed in arteries from normotensive rats. The 5-HT 1B receptor antagonist GR55562 (100 nmol/L) inhibited both the 5-HT-(4-fold rightward shift) and CP93129-induced (11-fold rightward shift) contractions in mesenteric arteries from hypertensive DOCA-salt rats. In other experiments, arteries from normotensive rats were incubated with 15 mmol/L KCl, as a depolarizing stimulus, and then exposed to 5-HT and CP93129. In the presence of KCl, a small leftward shift to 5-HT was observed. However, the presence of a depolarizing stimulus was unable to produce changes in the 5-HT maximal response to resemble that of arteries from DOCA-salt rats, nor was contraction to CP93129 observed. These data support the conclusions that 5-HT 1B receptors mediate contraction in mesenteric arteries from hypertensive rats and that this enhanced response to 5-HT is not due to membrane depolarization alone. Key Words: serotonin Ⅲ mesenteric arteries Ⅲ vasoconstriction Ⅲ deoxycorticosterone S erotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is a molecule that has generated much interest and controversy in cardiovascular research. A finding that is common, but not absolute, is that arteries from animals with hypertension demonstrate supersensitivity to 5-HT. 1,2 Under normotensive conditions, the 5-HT 2A receptor has been implicated as the predominant receptor involved in mediating 5-HT-induced contraction in many arteries. 3,4 Recently, 5-HT 1B receptors have also been implicated as mediators of 5-HT-induced vasoconstriction. The 5-HT 1B receptor has been shown to mediate contraction in human pulmonary artery, 5 rat pulmonary artery, 6 human coronary artery, 7 human cerebral artery, 8 rabbit carotid artery, 9 rabbit ear artery, 10 rabbit renal artery, 11 and rat tail artery. 12 The 5-HT 1B receptor appears to be the predominant receptor mediating 5-HT-induced contraction in the human cerebral arteries. 8 This receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor, using G i and G o to couple negatively with cAMP modulatory pathways. [13][14][15] Unlike other serotonin receptors, the 5-HT 1B receptor has been described as a receptor that can be "unmasked" to mediate its contractile effects. 10 This unmasking of a functionally ...