The effects of MPP+ (2.5-20 mg/kg) on the adrenal glands and heart were investigated in rats. At various periods after s.c. drug administration the rats were decapitated and tissue catecholamine levels were determined by means of HPLC with electrochemical detection. Adrenal dopamine (DA) levels were reduced at 2-8 h after MPP+ administration, but this decrease was followed by an elevation after 16 h and return to the control values after one week. Three successive injections of MPP+ caused a statistically significant elevation in adrenal DA, one day, with a tendency to elevation four and seven days after the last injection, whereas a severe (up to 96%) decrease in heart noradrenaline (NA) was found one day after the last injection. Seven days after the last injection a 50% depletion of NA in the heart was still observed. Pretreatment with GBR 12909 (30 mg/kg, 4h) blocked the MPP+ (10 mg/kg, 2 h) induced reduction of adrenal DA levels, but at the same time GBR 12909 failed to block the effects of MPP+ in the heart. One day after three successive daily injections of MPP+ (10 mg/kg each), the DA-uptake inhibitor GBR 12909 (30 mg/kg, 6 h) could still induce an increase in adrenal DA. MPP+ appears to lack persistent cytotoxic action in the adrenal medulla but rather to cause a transient inhibition of DA synthesis followed by a compensatory stimulation. The inhibition can be blocked by specific inhibitor of the DA-uptake mechanism, suggesting a direct effect of MPP+ taken up by adrenomedullary cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)