The promoting activities of phenobarbital (PB) on the development of gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase-positive (gamma-GT+) foci in rat liver with three different initiating agents were compared in a short-term system (8 weeks). Male F344 rats were initiated by a single application of 200 mg/kg of diethylnitrosamine (DEN), 30 mg/kg of N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH-AAF), 1.0 or 0.5 mg/kg of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) or the vehicles alone. Two weeks after the initiation, animals were placed on a 0.05% PB diet for 6 weeks. Partial hepatectomy was performed at the end of the third week of the experiment. As a positive control, some animals were fed diet containing 0.06% 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3'-Me-DAB) after the initiation. The number and area of gamma-GT+ foci in the liver were quantified. All three initiators showed a summation effect with 3'-Me-DAB on the appearance of gamma-GT+ foci. Promotion by PB, however, was observed only in DEN-initiated rats and not in N-OH-AAF- or AFB1-initiated rats. It is apparent from the present experimental data that the promoting potential of PB on liver carcinogenesis depends on the initiating agent.