Dopamine (DA) has been shown to be an endogenous catecholamine that promotes natriuresis by activating tubular DA receptors, but its role on natriuresis appears to be equivocal, and the precise mechanisms and signaling pathway of multiple DA's receptor subtypes are not yet clarified. We used low dose of DA intravenously in saline (S) volume-expanded dogs to see the alterations in natriuresis. The results showed that there is a critical dose that induces no enhacement of natriuresis of volume expansion, and that the lower and higher doses of DA produced relatively larger natriuresis. Pretreatment of metoclopramide (MCP) in this settings caused even higher and significant increases of natriuresis. In conclusion, DA seems to determine tonically the level of natriuresis in saline-expanded dogs. DA may exert a dual effect on signal transduction pathways such that one leading to antinatriuretis with high affinity and the other to natriuresis with low affinity signaling cascades for DA. MCP may block the antinatriuretic limb of the signaling pathway. (Hypertens Res 1995; 18 Suppl. I: S147-S150)