Vanadate is a potent inhibitor of Na-K-ATPase. Ouabain, the another specific inhibitor of Na-K-ATPase, induces the contraction in cardiac muscle and smooth muscle. But, some investigators observed the discrepancies between vanadate and ouabain-induced contraction in cardiac muscle. The difference of vanadate and ouabain-induced contraction was investigated in the cat ileal smooth muscle. The following results were obtained. 1) Ouabain-induced contraction was biphasic, but vanadate-induced contraction had one peak. 2) Atropine inhibited ouabain¡¤induced contraction, but did not inhibit vanadate-induced contraction. 3) Changes in external Ca++concentration or Ca++ antagonists had a greater influence on the contraction induced hy vanadate than by ouabain. 4) Removal of Na+ from incubation medium and high K+ abolished ouabain-induced contraction, but had no effect on vanadate-induced contraction. 5) Vanadate-induced contraction was potentiated in the presence of ouabain. 6) After 3 hrs incubation with vanadate, there was no change in intracellular Na+ concentrations in contrast with ouabain. These results suggest that vanadate contracts ileal smooth muscle through the mechanism different from ouabain, and this is independent of the inhibition of Na-K-ATPase activity.