Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (thalamate clearance), renal plasma flow (RPF) (hippuran clearance), and urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) were measured in 10 normoalbuminuric, normotensive insulin-dependent diabetic patients and 8 normal subjects before and during acute angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition by means of enalapril (10 mg IV). The effect of placebo versus enalapril (30 mg day-1) was also studied for 3-month treatment periods in the insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Acute ACE-inhibition caused a decline in filtration fraction (FF) from 0.259 +/- 0.011 (+/- SE) to 0.237 +/- 0.013 (2p less than 0.01) in the diabetic patients, and from 0.210 +/- 0.010 to 0.188 +/- 0.006 (2p less than 0.02) in the normal subjects. Mean arterial blood pressure was lowered from 90 +/- 1 to 84 +/- 2 mmHg (2p less than 0.01) and from 91 +/- 1 to 86 +/- 2 mmHg (2p less than 0.05). No significant change in blood glucose, AER or fractional albumin excretion (theta Alb) was seen in either group. After 3 months of enalapril treatment FF was decreased from 0.253 +/- 0.011 to 0.235 +/- 0.011 (2p less than 0.05), AER from 5.6 x/ divided by 1.7 to 4.3 x/divided by 1.6 micrograms min-1 (2p less than 0.01) and theta Alb from 1.22 +/- 0.22 x 10(-6) to 0.92 +/- 0.12 x 10(-6) (2p less than 0.02). The decline in total renal resistance was not significant (0.175 +/- 0.013 to 0.165 +/- 0.012 mmHg ml-1 min-1) and significant changes in GFR, RPF, mean arterial pressure or HbA1c were not observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)