The purpose of this study was to determine whether ATP-glyburide-sensitive K+ (KATP-glyburide) channels are involved in the adenosine-induced vasorelaxation of porcine and canine epicardial vessels in vitro. Adenosine and its analogues, 2-chloroadenosine (CAD), 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA), R-N6-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (R-PIA), N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA), N6-[2-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methylphenyl)]adenosine (DPMA), 2-phenylaminoadenosine (CV-1808), 2-[m-(carboxyethyl)phenylamino]-5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (CGS-22988), 2-[(2-cyclohexylethyl)amino]adenosine (CGS-22492), 2-[(p-amino)phenethylamino]adenosine (APE), and 2-(1-octynyl)adenosine (YT-146) (10 nM-100 microM), produced concentration-dependent relaxations in endothelium-intact and -denuded arterial ring segments contracted with 30 mM KCl, 10 nM endothelin-1, or 10 microM prostaglandin F2 alpha. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 1 nM-10 microM) and KATP-channel activator, pinacidil (10 nM-10 microM), also produced similar vasodilatory responses. Glyburide, a KATP-channel blocker, caused a rightward shift of the concentration-response curve to pinacidil but did not alter the responses elicited by SNP or adenosine and its analogues. The data suggest that KATP-glyburide channels are not involved in the mechanism whereby adenosine and its analogues elicit their vasorelaxant response in isolated porcine or canine epicardial vessels.