Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a component of cruciferous vegetables, exhibits anti-carcinogenic activity in a variety of model systems. This activity has been attributed in part to the induction of cytochrome P450 CYP1A subfamily members and the resulting increased metabolic inactivation of chemical carcinogens. The present study was undertaken to assess the effects of I3C on several constitutive P450 activities that contribute to both carcinogen and steroid hormone metabolism. Mice were administered I3C in their diet at estimated daily doses of 250, 500 and 750 mg/kg for 1 week. Liver microsomes from treated and untreated mice were subsequently assayed for CYP1A-mediated ethoxy-resorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity, estradiol 2-hydroxylase activity and seven different testosterone hydroxylase activities. I3C elevated EROD, estradiol 2-hydroxylase and testosterone 6 alpha-hydroxylase activities in a dose-dependent manner. The other six testosterone hydroxylase activities were not significantly affected by in vivo treatment with I3C. In addition to its effects on steroid hydroxylase activities, I3C also elevated NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase activity, a necessary component to the P450 monooxygenase system. We next examined the direct in vitro effects of I3C and its acid condensation products, as are generated in the stomach following ingestion, on the P450 catalytic activities. Testosterone 6 beta-hydroxylase, the major testosterone hydroxylase activity in untreated mice, was significantly inhibited (IC50 approximately 12 micrograms/ml) by the acid condensation products of I3C. In contrast, all other P450 activities were not appreciably affected by I3C or its acid condensation products. These results indicate that I3C can elicit both inductive and suppressive effects on the constitutive P450s that participate in carcinogen and steroid hormone metabolism. This pleiotropic effect on hepatic catalytic enzymes may contribute to the anti-carcinogenic properties of this compound.