giotensin II (ANG II)-induced oxidative stress has been known to be involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. We have reported that the oxidative stress in skeletal muscle can limit exercise capacity in mice (16). We thus hypothesized that ANG II could impair the skeletal muscle energy metabolism and limit exercise capacity via enhancing oxidative stress. ANG II (50 ng·kg Ϫ1 ·min Ϫ1 ) or vehicle was infused into male C57BL/6J mice for 7 days via subcutaneously implanted osmotic minipumps. ANG II did not alter body weight, skeletal muscle weight, blood pressure, cardiac structure, or function. Mice were treadmill tested, and expired gases were analyzed. The work to exhaustion (vertical distance ϫ body weight) and peak oxygen uptake were significantly decreased in ANG II compared with vehicle. In mitochondria isolated from skeletal muscle, ADP-dependent respiration was comparable between ANG II and vehicle, but ADP-independent respiration was significantly increased in ANG II. Furthermore, complex I and III activities were decreased in ANG II. NAD(P)H oxidase activity and superoxide production by lucigenin chemiluminescence were significantly increased in skeletal muscle from ANG II mice. Treatment of ANG II mice with apocynin (10 mmol/l in drinking water), an inhibitor of NAD(P)H oxidase activation, completely inhibited NAD(P)H oxidase activity and improved exercise capacity, mitochondrial respiration, and complex activities in skeletal muscle. ANG II-induced oxidative stress can impair mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle and limit exercise capacity. mitochondria; reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphatase oxidase; oxygen uptake THE LIMITED EXERCISE CAPACITY represents a major symptom and an important prognostic factor in patients with cardiovascular disease and with risk factor for cardiovascular disease (19,24). The exercise capacity is generally believed to be limited in the presence of abnormalities in skeletal muscle, which include atrophy, transition of fiber type, and abnormal energy metabolism (6,26,30). The activation of renin-angiotensin system, particularly the increase in angiotensin II (ANG II), has been well established to play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of various cardiovascular diseases (7, 15). Moreover, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have been shown to improve exercise capacity in patients with cardiovascular disease and in spontaneously hypertensive rats (5,22,34). These results suggest that ANG II may directly impair skeletal muscle function and reduce exercise capacity. However, the mechanisms by which ANG II induces skeletal muscle dysfunction remain unknown.ANG II leads to the production of superoxide (O 2 ·Ϫ ), the major reactive oxygen species (ROS), via NAD(P)H oxidase activation (2, 10). The production of O 2 ·Ϫ in skeletal muscle has been shown to be increased in the mouse model after myocardial infarction (31). In addition, our laboratory reported that the exercise capacity was decreased in heterozygous manganese ...