Both periarterial electrical stimulation (ES) and intraluminal application of noreplnephrine (NE) produced a vasoconstriction in the isolated canine ophthalmic artery (OA). The ES-induced vasoconstrictor response was markedly inhibited by treatment with tetrodotoxin and slightly but significantly depressed by xylazine, a selective alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist. Moreover, the ES-induced response was enhanced by either DG-5128, a selective alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist, or angiotensin II. The inhibitory effect of bunazosin on the ES-induced response was significant, but it was rather small compared with that on the NE-induced response. The NE-induced constriction was not affected by xylazine and DG-5128, but significantly enhanced by angiotensin II. These results indicate that (1) the ES-induced response is mediatedviasympathetic nerve activation, (2) there are inhibitory prejunctional alpha-2 adrenoceptors, (3) there are more postjunctional alpha-1 than postjunctional alpha-2 adrenoceptors in canine OAs, and (4) prejunctional angiotensin II receptors may exist in isolated OA preparations.