(+/-)-1-(Cyclohexyloxycarbonyloxy)ethyl 2-ethoxy-1-[[2'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)biphenyl-4-yl]methyl]-1H- benzimidazole-7-carboxylate (TCV-116, Candesartan) and its active metabolite 2-ethoxy-1-[[2'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)biphenyl-4-yl]methyl]-1H- benzimidazole-7-carboxylic acid (CV-11974) are specific nonpeptide angiotensin AT1 receptor antagonists. In the present study, the inhibitory potency of these two antagonists on the angiotensin II-induced responses in aortic vascular smooth muscle cells from Wystar Kyoto rats was investigated. The specific binding of 125I-angiotensin II to cells was inhibited by CV-11974 and TCV-116 with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 3 x 10(-11) M and 1 x 10(-9) M, respectively. CV-11974 and TCV-116 inhibited the angiotensin II-induced increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation with an IC50 of 3 x 10(-10) and 5 x 10(-9) M, respectively. Both CV-11974 and TCV-116 (10(-7) M) completely blocked the angiotensin II-induced increase in c-fos mRNA. The inhibitory potency of the metabolite CV-11974 was about 30-100-fold higher than that of the prodrug TCV-116.