The effects of external Ca2+ ana the inhibition of Na-pump on vanadate-induced contraction in isolated human and rat uterine smooth muscle were studied and the following results were observed. 1) Vanadate induced contraction in rat uterine muscle and showed maximal contraction at concentration of 5 X 10-4M, and the contractile response to vanadate was more sensitive in human than rat uterine muscle. 2) Vanadate-induced contraction was not completely inhibited by Ca2+ removal from PSS and the response to Ca2+ removal was more sensitive in human than rat uterine muscle. 3) Vanadate-induced contraction decreased with increasing concentration of verapamil, but even in the presence of 3 X 10-5M verapamil which inhibited 100 K-induced contraction completely. about 40% of maximal contraction remained, and its amplitude was similar to that of contraction in Ca2+-free solution. 4) Vanadate-induced contraction was increased by the inhibition of Na-pump and this increase also could be observed in the presence of 3 X 10-5M verapamil. 5) After pretreatment with Ca2+-free PSS containing ouabain Vanadate-induced contraction was not increased, but the contractile response of these tissues to the addition of external Ca2+ was remarkably increased in the presence of vanadate. 6) 3 X 10-5M verapamil inhibited vanadate-induced Ca45 influx completely, but after pretreatment with ouabain vanadate could induce remarkable Ca45 influx even in the presence of verapmil. 7) With increasing the time of pretreatment with ouabain or K+-free solution, the degree of increase in contraction by vanadate was more remarkable. 8) 10-4M papaverine stowed a considerable inhibition of the increase in the vanadate-induced contraction by pretreatment with ouabain. 9) Acetylcholine-induced contraction increased with lengthening the duration of Na-pump inhibition even in the presence of verapamil. Considering above results it seems that the uterine muscle of human is more sensitive to vanadate than that of rat, and both internal and external Ca2+ is utilized in vanadate¡¤induced contraction. In the case of Na-pump inhibition several smooth muscle contracting agents seems to induce Ca2+ influx which is not inhibited by verapamil. This Ca2+ influx seems to be inhibited by papaverine and to be associated with membrane potential, although its precise characteristics is not certain.