In the perfused rat mesentery, when adrenergic nerves were blocked with guanethidine and vascular smooth muscle tone was increased with methoxamine, transmural field stimulation caused a dilator response. Bradykinin significantly suppressed vasodilator responses to a transmural field stimulation in a concentration-dependent manner. After pretreatment with saponin to damage endothelial cells, bradykinin still suppressed vasodilator responses to transmural field stimulation. The effect of bradykinin was unaltered by indomethacin. N omega-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis, abolished the inhibition of vasodilator responses to transmural field stimulation elicited by bradykinin. However, in the presence of L-arginine and L-NAME the inhibitory effect of bradykinin reappeared. Furthermore, methylene blue itself caused potentiation of vasodilator responses to transmural field stimulation and reversed the effect of bradykinin. These findings suggest that bradykinin can produce an inhibitory modulation of the actions of sensory nerves in the perfused rat mesentery and that the effect of bradykinin may be mediated by nitric oxide released from non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic nerves.