Activation of the trigeminal nerve terminals around cerebral and meningeal arteries is thought to be an important patho-mechanism in migraine. Vasodilatation of the cranial arteries may also play a role in increasing nociception. Prostaglandin I(2) (PGI(2)) is capable of inducing a headache in healthy volunteers, a response that is likely to be mediated by the prostaglandin I(2) receptor (IP). This study investigates the functional and molecular characteristics of the IP receptor in the rat craniovascular system. In the closed cranial window model, iloprost, an IP receptor agonist, dilated the rat middle meningeal artery (MMA) (E(max)=170%±16%; pED(50)=6.5±0.2) but not the rat cerebral artery (CA) in vivo. The specific antagonist of the IP receptor, CAY10441, significantly blocked the iloprost-induced response dose-dependently, with the highest dose attenuating iloprost (1µgkg(-1)) induced dilatations by 70% (p