The effect of shear stress on the release of endothelin-1 (ET-1) from endothelial cells is at present controversial with various investigators observing an increase and others observing a decrease. Our data reveal that the release of ET-1 from primary cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells varies with the duration and the level of shear. Sustained exposure to low levels of shear (1.8 dyn/cm2) or a brief exposure (< 1 h) to 10 dyn/cm2 caused a sustained stimulation of ET-1 release. Staurosporine (STPN) completely blocked the stimulation in both cases, suggesting that ET-1 release is increased via activation of protein kinase C (PKC). Exposure to 6-25 dyn/cm2 for > or = 6 h dramatically inhibited ET-1 release and led to 0-70% inhibition of cumulative release by 16 h. Pretreatment with N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) reversed this suppression in a dose-dependent manner, implicating either nitric oxide (NO) and/or guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) as a requirement for shear-mediated inhibition of ET-1 release. Treatment of stationary cultures with 8-bromo-cGMP and atrial natriuretic peptide mimicked the inhibition of ET-1 release caused by shear and revealed that cGMP is capable of inhibiting ET-1. Likewise, the inhibitory effects of shear were potentiated and diminished by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) and methylene blue, respectively. Thus cGMP also appears to exert an inhibitory effect in cells exposed to shear.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)