When male guinea pigs were given a single dose of Cd (2.0 mg Cd2+/kg, ip) 72 hr prior to sacrifice, the hepatic reduced glutathione (GSH) level did not change although glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities toward the substrates 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB), ethacrynic acid (EAA), and 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy) propane (ENPP) increased significantly as compared to controls. Cd did not change the renal GSH level and GST activities toward CDNB and EAA. However, significant increase was observed in the GST activity for DCNB whereas GST activity for ENPP was significantly inhibited by Cd. When the animals were given a single dose of Ni (14.8 mg Ni2+/kg, sc) 16 hr prior to sacrifice, significant increases were observed in hepatic GSH level and GST activities toward CDNB, DCNB, EAA and ENPP. Ni, however, depressed the renal GSH level and GST activities toward CDNB, DCNB and ENPP significantly. The renal GST activity toward EAA remained unaltered. For the combined treatment, guinea pigs received the single dose of Ni 56 hr after the single dose of Cd and then they were killed 16 hr later. In these animals, no significant alteration was observed in the hepatic GSH level. The augmentation of elevation was observed in hepatic GST activities toward CDNB and DCNB. Combined metal treatment did not potentiate the elevation of hepatic GST activities toward EAA and ENPP to any greater degree. The depression of renal GSH level was significantly ameliorated by the combined treatment. Combination treatment potentiated the depression of renal GST activity for ENPP but not for CDNB.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)