Many physiological important substances elicit a relaxing effect on blood vessels which is mediated by (a) substance(s) [EDRF(s)] released from the endothelial cells. EDRF(s) stimulate(s) guanylate cyclase, increasing cGMP at the smooth muscle level, resulting in relaxation. Since this mechanism of action is very similar to that of nitrovasodilator substances, we investigated whether EDRF(s) would act via the "organic nitrate receptor", which is thought to be the common site of action for organic nitrovasodilator substances. The relaxation effect of EDRF-mediated substances (histamine and acetylcholine) was investigated on contracted rat aorta preparations in which the affinity of the organic nitrate receptor was lowered by a treatment with high doses of nitroglycerin. The dose-relaxation curve of nitroglycerin on aorta preparations of pre-treated animals showed a highly significant shift to the right compared to preparations of control rats, proving the nitrate-receptor tolerance. However, when the same preparations were tested for their reactivity to acetylcholine or histamine, no differences could be demonstrated. These results indicate that, although it is known that organic nitrates and EDRF relax vascular smooth muscle cells by stimulating guanylate cyclase, this stimulation is mediated by a different mechanism.