1. The present study has examined the formation of dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in slices of the rat renal cortex and the renal medulla loaded with exogenous L-beta-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). The effects of pargyline and of two selective inhibitors of monoamine oxidase (MAO) types A and B, respectively Ro 41-1049 and Ro 19-6327, on the deamination of newly-synthesized dopamine in kidney slices incubated with exogenous L-DOPA were also tested. The assay of L-DOPA, dopamine, noradrenaline and DOPAC was performed by means of h.p.l.c. with electrochemical detection. 2. Incubation of renal slices with exogenous L-DOPA resulted in a concentration-dependent accumulation of dopamine and DOPAC; the tissue levels of newly-formed dopamine and DOPAC in slices of the renal medulla were 6-8% of those in cortical slices. 3. Pargyline (0.1 mM) produced a marked decrease (84% reduction) in the formation of DOPAC in kidney slices loaded with 1.0 mM L-DOPA; this effect was accompanied by a 17% increase in the accumulation of dopamine. Similar effects were obtained at higher concentrations of pargyline (0.5 and 1.0 mM). At 5.0 and 10.0 mM pargyline, a marked decrease (46 and 76% reduction) in the accumulation of newly-formed dopamine was observed. 4. The accumulation of dopamine and DOPAC was found to be time-dependent in experiments in which tissues were incubated with 5 and 10 microM L-DOPA for 5, 10, 20 and 30 min. Pargyline (0.1 mM) produced an increase in the accumulation of dopamine at all incubation periods and decreased the formation of DOPAC. 6. It is concluded that deamination of newly-formed dopamine in kidney slices loaded with L-DOPA constitutes an important mechanism of amine inactivation. The results presented also suggest that most of the MAO, located inside the compartment where the synthesis of dopamine occurs, is of the A type.