Previous studies in the once-through perfused rat liver preparation have shown that the techniques of normal and retrograde delivery of substrate and computer simulation of enzyme distributions along the sinusoidal flow path in liver were useful in delineating the relative distributions of sulfation and glucuronidation activities for harmol metabolism (Pang et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 224: 647-653, 1983). The observed steady-state hepatic extraction ratios of harmol and the steady-state formation rates of harmol sulfate and harmol glucuronide were consistent with three enzyme-distribution models which described a proximal localization of sulfation activity and a more distal distribution of glucuronidation activities. The present study was a further refinement on the definition of the distribution of these activities. The experimental approach used included the perturbation of delivery of harmol (10 microM) at 8, 12 and 16 ml/min by normal flow, and the alternation of normal and retrograde directional flows for delivery of harmol (10 microM) at constant hepatic blood flows (8, 12 or 16 ml/min) in the single-pass perfused rat liver preparation. The observed steady-state sulfation and glucuronidation rates were compared against predicted values afforded by models previously shown to be adequate and additional enzyme-distributed models. The observed and predicted data point to a periportal distribution of sulfation activity and an even distribution of glucuronidation activity for the metabolism of harmol.