Angiotensin II directly stimulates muscle sympathetic nerve activity and facilitates adrenergic sympathetic transmission. The hypotheses that the chronic blockade of angiotensin II receptors (AT 1 type) reduces muscle sympathetic activity and that there is an interaction with baroreceptor function in patients with mild to moderate hypertension were investigated. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity decreased from 51.7 ± 3.5 to 45.9 ± 4.2 bursts/min (p = 0.022), and cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity increased from 3.2 ± 1.3 to 4.9 ± 1.8 ms/mm Hg (p = 0.007). This study for the first time demonstrates that in hypertensive patients, chronic AT 1 receptor antagonism inhibits muscle sympathetic nerve activity and that baroreceptor function is improved under these conditions.