Hepatic uptake of bilirubin and sulfobromophthalein has kinetic characteristics suggesting facilitated diffusion. Because these compounds demonstrate mutual competition for uptake, a shared uptake mechanism has been presumed. Previous studies in isolated perfused regenerating liver revealed depressed uptake of bilirubin, sulfobromophthalein, and asialoorosomucoid, a desialylated glycoprotein which enters hepatocytes by receptor-mediated endocytosis. This study was designed to determine whether or not depressed transport seen in liver regeneration occurs in other states of hepatocellular proliferation. Rats were pretreated with nafenopin (200 mg/kg . day x 2), a drug that causes rapid hepatocellular proliferation similar to that seen in regeneration. Twenty-four hours after nafenopin treatment, liver weight increased by 40%. Influx, efflux, and sequestration rate constants in isolated perfused liver were quantitated by a computer fit to the model of Goresky. Results 1 day after nafenopin treatment revealed no change in transport parameters for bilirubin and asialoorosomucoid, but 55% and 49% reductions in influx of sulfobromophthalein and conjugated bilirubin, respectively. These studies suggest that hepatocellular proliferation alone is not responsible for the transport alterations seen during liver regeneration. Nafenopin effectively unmasks differences in uptake of bilirubin and other more water soluble organic anions such as sulfobromophthalein and conjugated bilirubin, suggesting that their uptake mechanisms are partially independent.