We have compared two different methods of attenuating protein kinase C (PKC) activity in vascular smooth muscle. First, the effects of two purported PKC inhibitors, staurosporine (stauro) and H-7 [1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine dihydrochloride], were examined on contractility of isolated, intact canine femoral artery. In arterial rings stauro was equipotent in relaxing contractions induced by phenylephrine (PE), phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) and KCl (IC50, 0.31 +/- 0.19; 0.35 +/- 0.2; and 0.34 +/- 0.16 microM). H-7, in comparison, was markedly less potent than stauro (IC50, 0.67 +/- 0.2, 2.33 +/- 0.24; and 6.5 +/- 5.5 microM for PE, PDBu and KCl, respectively). Pretreatment of tissues with 1 microM stauro suppressed tension development almost completely when PE and PDBu were the contractile agonists, and partially in K(+)-depolarized rings. H-7, in contrast, had no inhibitory effect on agonist-induced contraction. Neither basal nor K(+)-stimulated calcium influx was affected by 10 microM stauro. Second, prolonged exposure of canine carotid arterial rings to PDBu (1-100 nM for 24 hr), a means of depleting PKC from the tissue, caused dose-dependent attenuation of agonist-induced contractions. Preincubation with 100 nM PDBu caused complete inhibition of tension induced by norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin and partial inhibition of PDBu- and KCl-induced contractions. Lowering the concentration of PDBu during preincubation to 30, 10 or 1 nM reduced markedly the inhibitory effects. The inactive phorbolester 4 alpha-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate (4 alpha-PDD) had no effect on agonist-induced contractions. PKC activity was determined in rings contracted isometrically with PDBu or NE after prolonged exposure to vehicle, 4 alpha-PDD or PDBu.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)