It has been proposed that organic nitrates are prodrugs and biotransformation to a pharmacologically active metabolite (i.e., nitric oxide) must occur before the onset of vasodilation. If this postulated mechanism is correct, tolerance to organic nitrate-induced vasodilation might involve decreased biotransformation of organic nitrates by vascular smooth muscle. In this study, biotransformation of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) was estimated by measuring isosorbide mononitrate (ISMN) and glyceryl dinitrate (GDN), respectively, rather than the nitrate anion, because of a more sensitive method for measurement of ISMN and GDN. To test this hypothesis, isolated rabbit aortic strips (RAS) were made tolerant in vitro by incubation with 500 microM GTN or ISDN for 1 h. After a washout period and submaximal contraction with phenylephrine, the tissues were incubated with either 2.0 microM [14C]ISDN or 0.5 microM [14C]GTN for 2 min. ISDN- or GTN-induced relaxation of RAS was monitored and tissue parent drug and metabolite contents were determined by thin-layer chromatography and liquid scintillation spectrometry. ISDN- and GTN-induced relaxation of RAS and the metabolite concentrations were significantly less for both GTN- and ISDN-tolerant tissue compared with nontolerant tissue. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that organic nitrate biotransformation is required for organic nitrate-induced vasodilation.