Neurointermediate lobes of the rat pituitary gland were incubated with [3H]dopamine in the presence of desipramine and then superfused with radioactivity-free medium. The outflow of tritium was studied and in most experiments [3H]dopamine and its metabolites were separated by column chromatography. After 60-70 min of superfusion, the spontaneous rate of tritium outflow was 1.2%/min. The spontaneously released radioactivity consisted of 52% O-methylated and deaminated metabolites, 28% 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 18% dopamine and 2% 3-methoxytyramine. In the presence of pargyline (10 microM) the spontaneous rate of total tritium outflow decreased by 46%, that of the O-methylated and deaminated metabolites by 72% and that of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid by 79%. The spontaneous rate of outflow of dopamine was unchanged and that of 3-methoxytyramine increased 3-fold. Further addition of nomifensine (10 microM) doubled the rate of outflow of dopamine and 3-methoxytyramine, but had no effect on the other metabolites. Electrical stimulation of the pituitary stalk (0.2 ms, 80 V, 3 Hz, 2 min) caused a tritium release of 8.5% of the tissue tritium. The evoked tritium release was only partially dependent on the extracellular calcium and not affected by tetrodotoxin. In contrast, vasopressin release evoked by stimuli of the same strength was completely calcium-dependent and blocked by tetrodotoxin. After modification of the stimulation conditions (1 ms, 10 V, 10 Hz, 2 min) the evoked tritium release was 4.1% of the tissue tritium. This tritium release was reduced by 73% in the presence of tetrodotoxin. The total evoked tritium release was decreased by 30% in the presence of pargyline and increased by 150% after further addition of nomifensine. Under the latter conditions, tetrodotoxin reduced the evoked tritium release by 67%, but nearly all of the tetrodotoxin-resistant tritium release could be identified as dopamine metabolites. Thus, the electrical stimulation appears to liberate some [3H]dopamine metabolites from an extraneuronal compartment. In conclusion, oxidative deamination and O-methylation are important pathways of the catabolism of dopamine in the neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary gland. After labelling of the transmitter stores with [3H]dopamine, the total tritium release is a poor indicator of [3H]dopamine release from the nerve terminals. Only the isolated [3H]dopamine fraction appears to reflect the release of neuronal [3H]dopamine.