The effect of opiate peptides on basal and potassium-stimulated endogenous dopamine (DA) release from striatal slices was studied in vitro. Dual stimulation of the striatal slices gave a reproducible increase in DA release that was calcium dependent. Addition of the delta-opiate receptor agonists Met5-enkephalin, [D-Ala2,D-Leu5]enkephalin (DADLE), and [D-Ser2]Leu-enkephalin-Thr (DSLET), increased the basal DA release without affecting potassium-stimulated release in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of DADLE was antagonized by the addition of naloxone. In contrast, the mu-opioid receptor agonist [D-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly-ol5]enkephalin (DAGO) and the epsilon-opioid agonist beta-endorphin inhibited the stimulated DA release without changing the basal release. The inhibitory effect of DAGO on potassium-stimulated release was antagonized by naloxone. The addition of ethanol (75 mM) to the incubation media produced a delayed increase of both the basal and stimulated DA release. There was no change in stimulated DA release when the change in basal release was subtracted, suggesting that ethanol produced a dose-dependent, selective increase in basal DA release. Naloxone and the selective delta-opiate antagonist ICI 174864 inhibited the ethanol-induced increase in basal DA release. Naloxone and ICI 174864 added alone did not alter either basal or stimulated DA release. We therefore suggest that the ethanol-induced increase in basal DA release is an indirect effect involving an endogenous delta-opiate agonist.