We have examined the interaction of omeprazole, a gastric antisecretory agent, with endogenous or exogenous sulfhydryl compounds in isolated rabbit gastric glands. The glands exposed to omeprazole (2 microM for 50 min) could recover acid secretory response to dibutyryl-cAMP upon addition of dithiothreitol, cysteine or glutathione. Washing the omeprazole-exposed glands free of the extracellular drug also led to a similar recovery of the acid secretory response. Depletion of cellular glutathione with 2-cyclohexen-1-one had no considerable effect on the secretory response of the glands to dibutyryl-cAMP, but prevented the reversal of the antisecretory effect of omeprazole upon washing or adding exogenous cysteine. Also, the antisecretory potency of omeprazole increased several fold in the glutathione-depleted glands. These observations indicate that cellular glutathione is essential to reactivate the omeprazole-modified enzyme(s), possibly (H+ + K+)-ATPase, in acid secretory process and led us to propose that omeprazole is an agent reacting with sulfhydryl groups.