We hypothesized that in the airway mucosa, opioids are inhibitory neural modulators which cause an increase in net water absorption in the airway mucosa (as in the gut). Changes in bidirectional water fluxes across ovine tracheal mucosa in response to basolateral application of the opioid peptides, -endorphin, dynorphin A-(1-8) and [D-Ala², D-Leu⁵]-enkephalin (DADLE), were measured. -endorphin and dynorphin A-(1-8) decreased luminal to basolateral water fluxes and dynorphin A-(1-8) and DADLE increased basolateral to luminal water fluxes. These responses were electroneutral. In 7 beagle dogs, administration of aerosolized -endorphin (1 mg) to the tracheobronchial airways decreased the clearance of radiotagged particles from the bronchi in one hour from 34.7% to 22.0% (p<0.001). Naloxone abrogated the -endorphin-induced changes in vitro and in vivo. Contrary to our hypothesis, the opioid-induced changes in water fluxes would all lead to a predictable increase in airway surface fluid. The -endorphin induced increases in airway fluid together with reduced bronchial mucociliary clearance may produce pro-congestive responses when opioids are administered as antitussives.