Male F344 rats were continuously fed 0.05% phenobarbital (PB)- or 0.02% 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF)-containing diet for 3 or 8 weeks. The hepatocytes were isolated by a collagenase-perfusion technique and changes in the phalloidin-sensitivity of the cells were examined. After an 8-week treatment with PB or 2-AAF, the phalloidin-sensitivity, in terms of formation of cytoplasmic blebs over the cell surface, was reduced significantly in both groups. The degree of insensitivity to phalloidin induced by PB was found to be similar to that induced by 2-AAF. Two weeks after cessation of the PB-feeding, the sensitivity had recovered to the control range, while the decreased sensitivity induced by 2-AAF persisted for at least 2 weeks after the cessation of 2-AAF-feeding. Furthermore, cytochemical examinations of normal and 2-AAF-treated hepatocytes revealed that the degree of sensitivity decreased in the order of normal hepatocytes, 2-AAF-treated gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-negative hepatocytes, and 2-AAF-treated gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-positive hepatocytes. The decreased sensitivity of the latter two cell types also persisted for 2 weeks after the cessation of carcinogen treatment.