The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of several endothelin analogues on the gastric microcirculation. We measured changes in vascular resistance of an ex vivo gastric segment of chloralose-anesthetized dogs. Changes in luminal pressure were used to quantitate contractile force. Graded doses of endothelin-2 (ET-2), endothelin-3 (ET-3), [Ala3,11]endothelin (Ala-ET), and the COOH-terminal hexapeptide (ET-C) were infused intra-arterially to the stomach. ET-2 and Ala-ET produced dose-related sustained increases in vascular resistance (10(-10) to 10(-8) M), with Ala-ET less potent than ET-2. In contrast, ET-3 was a weak vasoconstrictor while ET-C had no significant effects. There were no detectable changes in filtration with any of these analogues. However, the force of gastric contractions was significantly attenuated by both ET-2 and Ala-ET in a dose-dependent manner. We found that endothelin analogues produced sustained vasoconstriction of the gastric segment with a potency order of ET-2 greater than Ala-ET-3 much greater than ET-C. Our results suggest that endothelin analogues are potent vasoconstrictors but have little effect on filtration across the gastric vasculature.