Experiments were designed to analyze potential interactions between voltage-dependent calcium channel blockers and endothelium-dependent vascular responses. Rings of canine femoral artery were suspended for isometric force recording in organ chambers and contracted with prostaglandin F2 alpha. Removal of the endothelium had no effect on relaxations induced by d-cis-diltiazem (active stereoisomer), verapamil or nimodipine. When rings with endothelium were first partially relaxed with acetylcholine or the calcium ionophore A23187 the concentration-relaxation curve to d-cis-diltiazem (but not to verapamil or nimodipine) was significantly shifted to the right. Partial relaxation of femoral arterial rings without endothelium by sodium nitroprusside had no effect on relaxations evoked by diltiazem. Pretreatment with diltiazem (10(-6) M) had no effect on endothelium-dependent relaxations to acetylcholine in femoral artery rings. D-cis-Diltiazem partially reversed the relaxation induced by acetylcholine in a bioassay system, in which a ring of canine coronary artery without endothelium was superfused by solution passing through a segment of femoral artery with endothelium. D-cis-Diltiazem relaxed the bioassay ring when infused downstream of the perfused femoral artery with, or upstream of a femoral artery without endothelium. The effect of diltiazem was stereoselective (the less active l-cis-diltiazem had no effect). Verapamil did not reverse the relaxation induced by acetylcholine and did not affect the reversal induced by diltiazem. These findings indicate that diltiazem specifically antagonizes the production and/or the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor(s) stimulated by acetylcholine or A23187 in canine femoral arteries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)