Serotonin (5-HT 0.1 and 0.3 mug/kg) was injected as a bolus into the renal artery of anesthetized dogs. Renal blood flow (RBF) decreased initially after 5-HT injection and then increased. The 5-HT-induced decrease in RBF was potentiated during intrarenal infusion of a 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 antagonist methysergide at 3 mug/kg/min or of a 5-HT2 antagonist ketanserin (3-30 mug/kg/min), but methysergide at 30 mug/kg/min attenuated the decrease in RBF. The delayed increase in RBF was suppressed during ketanserin or methysergide infusion. In ketanserin-pretreated dogs, methysergide (3-30 mug/kg/min) dose-dependently suppressed the 5-HT-induced decrease in RBF. A 5-HT3 antagonist, ICS 205-930 (3-30 mug/kg/min), did not affect the 5-HT-induced RBF responses. A Ca2+ entry blocker CD-349 (30 and 100 ng/kg/min) and a Ca2+ release inhibitor TMB-8 (30 and 100 mug/kg/min) suppressed the 5-HT-induced decrease in RBF. These results suggest that 5-HT activates 5-HT1 receptors to induce vasoconstriction by mobilization of extracellular and intracellular Ca2+, but simultaneous activation of 5-HT2 receptors attenuates the vasoconstriction, probably by causing vasodilation in dog kidney.