Intrathecal administration (ith) of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, 1.56, 3.125, 6.25 and 12.5 micrograms/10 microliters) to conscious rats produced a marked dose-dependent hypertensive effect without significant change in heart rate (HR). Ith administration of fluoxetine (10 micrograms/microliters), one of the presynaptic reuptake inhibitors of 5-HT, produced a marked increase in the mean arterial blood pressure (mABP). This effect could be prevented by a pretreatment with cinanserin (25 micrograms ith) as a blocker of 5-HT receptor. It was further observed that ith of 8-OH-DAPT (2.5, 5, 10 micrograms/10 microliters), a 5-HT1A receptor agonist, produced a dose-dependent increase of mABP and lowering of HR. However, ith of 5-HT3 receptor agonist 2-Methylserotonin (25, 50, 100 micrograms/10 microliters), decreased mABP markedly without change in HR. The results indicate that 5-HT in the spinal cord may extra hypertensive effect via 5-HT1A receptor and a hypotensive effect via 5-HT3 receptor. This gives a possible explanation about the conflicting reports concerning the effect of 5-HT in the central nervous system on blood pressure.