The purpose of this study was to demonstrate in vivo generation of hydrogen peroxide by rat renal cortex and glomeruli. Aminotriazole irreversibly inactivates catalase only in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, and previous studies have shown that aminotriazole-mediated inhibition of catalase is a measure of in vivo changes in the hydrogen peroxide generation. Aminotriazole injected intraperitoneally caused a dose-dependent (0.1-1 g/kg) and a time-dependent (15, 30, 60, 90, 120 min) inhibition of the catalase activity in renal cortex. We confirmed that catalase inactivation by aminotriazole was due to formation of a catalase-hydrogen peroxide intermediate (compound I) because catalase inactivation was prevented by ethanol (2 g/kg), a competitive substrate for compound I. The specific activity of catalase in the glomeruli [0.27 +/- 0.026 k/mg protein (where k is the first-order reaction rate constant), n = 5] was significantly lower than the specific activity in the tubules (1.04 +/- 0.15 k/mg protein, n = 5) obtained from the same rats. The residual catalase activity (RCA) in the glomeruli (0.05 +/- 0.01 k/mg protein) was 19% of control values at 90 min after aminotriazole injection (1 g/kg). Taken together these data provide evidence for in vivo generation of hydrogen peroxide by rat renal cortex and glomeruli under normal conditions. Aminotriazole-mediated inhibition of catalase has been used in previous studies as a measure of in vivo changes in the hydrogen peroxide generation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)