The purpose of the present experiments was to study the effects of various neurokinin related peptides, such as substance P, [beta Ala8]NKA(4-10), and [MePhe7]NKB, which are selective for NK-1, NK-2, and NK-3 functional sites, respectively, to induce plasma extravasation in rats and the effectiveness of RP 67580 and CP-96,345 (two nonpeptide NK-1 receptor selective antagonists) and SR 48968 (a nonpeptide NK-2 receptor selective antagonist) to prevent such an effect. Bolus intravenous injection of substance P (1.0 nmol/kg) into conscious rats induced extravasation of Evans blue dye (EB), a selective marker of albumin vascular permeability, in the duodenum, the stomach, the pancreas, and the urinary bladder by 50, 40, 58, and 312%, respectively; a slight increment occurred also in the ileum and the kidney but was not significant. [beta Ala8]NKA(4-10) (1.0 nmol/kg) increased EB extravasation in the stomach and the urinary bladder by 52 and 99%, respectively, while [MePhe7]NKB (1.0 nmol/kg) did the same in the stomach, the ileum, and the urinary bladder by 58, 50, and 79%. Pretreatment with RP 67580 (250 nmol/kg) blocked the albumin extravasation mediated by substance P in the duodenum, the pancreas, and the urinary bladder by 100, 100, and 78%, respectively. CP-96,345 (250 nmol/kg) also inhibited EB extravasation mediated by substance P in the duodenum and the pancreas by 100 and 100%, respectively, but was ineffective in the urinary bladder. Neither RP 67580 nor CP-96,345 prevented the substance P mediated extravasation in the stomach. RP 67580 and CP-96,345 did not antagonize the effects of NK-2 and NK-3 selective agonists.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)