1 Angiotensin (Ang) II modulates cardiovascular barore¯exes; whether or not the peptide in¯uences chemosensitive cardiovascular re¯exes is not known. We tested the hypothesis that Ang II modulates the re¯ex control of sympathetic nerve activity exerted by 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 (5HT 3 ) cardiopulmonary receptors. 2 The 5HT 3 receptor agonist phenylbiguanide (PBG), infused intravenously for 15 min, elicited a sustained re¯ex decrease of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) but only transient (53 min) changes of arterial blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in methohexital-anaesthesized rats. 3 Infusion of Ang II at a dose that did not aect baseline BP, HR and RSNA enhanced the PBGevoked re¯ex decrease of RSNA (754+5% in Ang II treated versus 733+6% in control rats after 15 min PBG, P50.05, n=6 each) in methohexital-anaesthetized rats. 4 The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor lisinopril blunted the re¯ex responses to PBG in anaesthetized as well as conscious animals. The eect of the ACE inhibitor was abolished by concomitant infusion of Ang II. 5 The re¯ex response to stimulation of cardiopulmonary 5HT 3 aerents was also impaired by the Ang II type 1 receptor (AT 1 ) blocker ZD7155 but not by the type 2 (AT 2 ) blocker PD 123319. 6 Infusion of a volume load to stimulate cardiopulmonary baroreceptors induced a gradual decrease of RSNA which was impaired by exogenous Ang II (RSNA 726+6% in Ang II treated versus 747+6% in control rats after volume load, P50.05, n=6 each) but unaected by ACE inhibition. 7 The re¯ex control of RSNA by cardiopulmonary 5HT 3 receptors is enhanced by Ang II via AT 1 receptors. Thus, Ang II facilitates a chemosensitive cardiovascular re¯ex, in contrast to its inhibitory in¯uences on mechanosensitive re¯exes.