Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity was examined in large arteries and veins of rats and found to be present in most of the arteries and to a lesser extent in the veins, except for the femoral vessels which showed higher ACE activity in the vein than in the artery. For the aorta and all its branches, ACE activity was higher in the aorta and its branches in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) than in age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), with the exception of the hepatic, pulmonary and basilar arteries where the levels were similar for SHR and WKY. For the vena cava and brachial vein, ACE activity was also higher in SHR than WKY but for most other veins the activity was the same with the exception of the pulmonary vein where ACE activity was higher in WKY. The acute treatment of SHR with cilazapril, an ACE inhibitor (0.3 and 3 mg/kg orally, for 4h) decreased aortic blood pressure and ACE activity in arterial and venous mesenteric and renal vessels in a dose-dependent fashion. Cilazapril, at the threshold hypotensive dose, markedly decreased ACE activity in each pair of aortic segments, carotid, pulmonary, subclavian, brachial and femoral vessels to a degree which was equivalent to that caused by the high dose. The effect outlasted a fall in blood pressure 24 h later. This was associated with a marked decrease in plasma angiotensin II and III and accumulation of angiotensin 1 at 4 h. No increase in plasma bradykinin or kallidin levels was detected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)