The present study focuses on the differential response of three branch levels of the mesenteric resistance arterial vasculature of 450-gram Sprague-Dawley rats infused continuously with angiotensin II (A-II) for 4, 7 and 14 days at a rate of 435 ng/kg/min, with an associated period of hypertension. The three branch levels (types I, II and III) were characterized by light microscopy and immunostaining using monoclonal antibodies for proliferating cell nuclear antigen, ED-1 (specific for rat monocytes/macrophages) and alpha smooth muscle cell (SMC) actin. Cross-sectional areas of the vascular walls were determined morphometrically. In situ hybridizations were performed on paraffin sections using both sense and antisense 35S-labeled cRNA probes generated from rat SMC osteopontin and elastin cDNAs. In the type-I (penetrating) arteries from A-II-infused animals, there was massive fibrinoid necrosis, a marked fibroproliferative perivascular response, intense monocyte/macrophage infiltration, striking SMC osteopontin and elastin gene expression; SMC, fibroblast and monocyte/macrophage DNA synthesis; and significant increase in the cross-sectional areas of the vascular walls. In the same animals, DNA synthesis also occurred in the larger mesenteric arteries of types II and III where it is associated with significant enlargement of the walls by SMC hypertrophy but without overt morphologic damage. It is suggested that the monocyte/macrophage infiltration and fibroproliferative response of type-I arteries may be related to A-II-induced osteopontin gene expression. Angiotensin infusion in the rat may represent a reproducible model of microvascular injury that can be utilized to elucidate the cellular and molecular biology of a variety of disease states such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus.