Transplantable pancreatic adenocarcinomas were established in subcutaneous tissue of Syrian golden hamsters and examined by enzyme histochemistry. The original tumors were found at week 40 after subcutaneous injection of N-nitrosobis(2-hydroxypropyl)amine (DHPN) at a dose of 250 mg/kg body weight once a week for the first 20 weeks of the experiment. They were well differentiated adenocarcinomas and their histology was not changed by serial transfer for 18 generations. Their transplantability was 67 to 100% and their average doubling time was 4.1 +/- 0.82 d. The enzymes gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALPase), and acid phosphatase (ACPase) were examined in tumor cells at the 14th and 15th generations and in ductal cells and acinar cells of normal pancreas of hamsters. Increased GGT activity was found in the tumor cells, and a strongly positive reaction was observed in acinar cells but not ductal cells of normal pancreas. LDH and SDH were found in the tumor cells, acinar cells and ductal cells. No ALPase was detected in the tumor cells, acinar cells, or ductal cells. ACPase was found in acinar cells and ductal cells, but not in the tumor cells.