Hemodynamic forces influence many endothelial cell functions. The coupling between hemodynamic forces and cell function could be mediated by mechano-sensitive ion channels present in the plasma membrane of endothelial cells. Because one of these channels is permeable to Ca2+, we tested whether hemodynamic forces influence endothelial cell Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i). Bovine aortic endothelial cells were grown inside cylindrical glass tubes, loaded with fura-2, and perfused at different pressures and flow rates on the stage of a fluorescence microscope. Decreasing flow from 110 to 2 ml.min-1 raised [Ca2+]i from 57 +/- 11 to 186 +/- 29 nM (mean +/- SEM, p less than 0.01) by increasing the entry of extracellular Ca2+ into the cytoplasm. Increasing flow from 2 to 110 ml.min-1 transiently decreased [Ca2+]i from 62 +/- 3 to 33 +/- 5 nM (p less than 0.01) apparently due to reduced Ca2+ entry and concomitant extrusion by the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase. The rise in [Ca2+]i induced by bradykinin was magnified during a decrease in flow; in control cells, 10(-7) M bradykinin increased [Ca2+]i by 162 +/- 26 nM, whereas [Ca2+]i increased 350 +/- 67 nM (p less than 0.05) in cells previously exposed to 110 ml.min-1. These observations suggest that flow-induced changes in [Ca2+]i might be a signal-transduction mechanism for endothelial functions responsive to hemodynamic forces and may also modulate the magnitude of hormonally mediated increases in [Ca2+]i.