1 In the presence of N G -nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG, 0.3 mM) and indomethacin (10 mM), the relaxations induced by acetylcholine and the calcium (Ca) ionophore A23187 are considered to be mediated by endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) in the guinea-pig basilar artery. 2 Inhibitors of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium (K)-channels (K ATP ; glibenclamide, 10 mM), voltage-sensitive K-channels (K V ; dendrotoxin-I, 0.1 mM or 4-aminopyridine, 1 mM), small (SK Ca ; apamin, 0.1 mM) and large (BK Ca ; iberiotoxin, 0.1 mM) conductance Ca-sensitive K-channels did not a ect the L-NOARG/indomethacin-resistant relaxation induced by acetylcholine. 3 Synthetic charybdotoxin (0.1 mM), an inhibitor of BK Ca and K V , caused a rightward shift of the concentration-response curve for acetylcholine and reduced the maximal relaxation in the presence of L-NOARG and indomethacin, whereas the relaxation induced by A23187 was not signi®cantly inhibited. 4 A combination of charybdotoxin (0.1 mM) and apamin (0.1 mM) abolished the L-NOARG/ indomethacin-resistant relaxations induced by acetylcholine and A23187. However, the acetylcholineinduced relaxation was not a ected by a combination of iberiotoxin (0.1 mM) and apamin (0.1 mM). 5 Ciclazindol (10 mM), an inhibitor of K V in rat portal vein smooth muscle, inhibited the L-NOARG/ indomethacin-resistant relaxations induced by acetylcholine and A23187, and the relaxations were abolished when ciclazindol (10 mM) was combined with apamin (0.1 mM). 6 Human pial arteries from two out of four patients displayed an L-NOARG/indomethacin-resistant relaxation in response to substance P. This relaxation was abolished in both cases by pretreatment with the combination of charybdotoxin (0.1 mM) and apamin (0.1 mM), whereas each toxin had little e ect alone. 7 The results suggest that K V , but not K ATP and BK Ca , is involved in the EDHF-mediated relaxation in the guinea-pig basilar artery. The synergistic action of apamin and charybdotoxin (or ciclazindol) could indicate that both K V and SK Ca are activated by EDHF. However, a single type of K-channel, which may be structurally related to K V and allosterically regulated by apamin, could also be the target for EDHF.