SUMMARY Male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), 13 weeks old, received oral administration of captopril (SQ 14,225) daily at a dose of 10 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg; or water at 2 ml/kg, for 6 weeks. Captopril suppressed the development of hypertension slightly at the lower dose and completely at the higher dose. At 6 weeks of dosing, hemodynamlc parameters were measured by the tracer microspbere method and blood volume by the dilution method usingMCr erythrocytes. Cardiac output (CO) increased and mean blood pressure decreased in a dose-dependent manner; thus, total peripheral resistance decreased. Cerebral and renal blood flows increased in a dose-dependent manner while blood flow to other organs tended to increase or remained unchanged. There was no significant difference in the circulating blood volume among the three groups. In conclusion, long-term blockade of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) with captopril dilated blood vessels in the whole body, especially in the brain and kidney, and lowered blood pressure without causing plasma expansion or tachycardia.