Mepivacaine is an aminoamide local anesthetic with an intermediate duration that intrinsically produces vasoconstriction both in vivo and in vitro. This study investigated the arachidonic acid metabolic pathways involved in mepivacaine-induced contraction, and elucidated the associated cellular mechanism with a particular focus on extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in endothelium-denuded rat aorta. Isolated rat thoracic aortic rings were suspended for isometric tension recording. Cumulative mepivacaine concentration-response curves were generated in the presence or absence of the following inhibitors: quinacrine dihydrochloride, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, phenidone, AA-861, indomethacin, NS-398, SC-560, fluconazole, PD 98059, and verapamil. Mepivacaine-induced ERK phosphorylation, 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) expression, and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression in rat aortic smooth muscle cells were detected by Western blot analysis in the presence or absence of inhibitors. Mepivacaine produced tonic contraction in isolated endothelium-denuded rat aorta. Quinacrine dihydrochloride, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, phenidone, AA-861, NS-398, PD 98059, and verapamil attenuated mepivacaine-induced contraction in a concentration-dependent manner. However, fluconazole had no effect on mepivacaine-induced contraction. PD 98059, quinacrine dihydrochloride, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, AA-861, phenidone, and indomethacin attenuated mepivacaine-induced ERK phosphorylation. Mepivacaine upregulated 5-LOX and COX-2 expression. These results suggest that mepivacaine-induced contraction involves ERK activation, which is primarily mediated by the 5-LOX pathway and in part by the COX-2 pathway.