Male F344/NCr rats were exposed to low dietary concentrations of Aroclor 1254 (0-33 ppm) for 7 days, following which the induction of selected hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes was monitored. CYP1A1, measured indirectly by assaying the O-dealkylation of ethoxyresorufin in 9000 g supernatants, was increased 1.5-, 3-, 8-, and 37-fold following 7 days of exposure to 1.0, 3.3, 10, and 33 ppm Aroclor, respectively. In contrast, the O-dealkylation of benzyloxyresorufin, an indirect measure of CYP2B1 activity, was increased approximately 4-fold following exposure to 33 ppm dietary Aroclor. Measurement of the non-P450-mediated activities epoxide hydrolase, DT-diaphorase, and aldehyde dehydrogenase (NADP+, benzaldehyde) revealed < 4-fold inductions following feeding of 33 ppm Aroclor. In view of the relatively high sensitivity of the CYP1A-specific catalytic endpoint as a biomarker for Aroclor exposure, alternative endpoints for detecting induction of this subfamily of P450 were also examined. The extent of in vivo CYP1A induction was assessed by measuring serum concentrations of zoxazolamine 150 min following an intraperitoneal dose of 100 mg/kg body wt. Slight decreases in serum zoxazolamine concentration were observed in rats exposed to as little as 1.0 ppm dietary Aroclor 1254, while profound decreases were seen in rats exposed to > or = to 10 ppm Aroclor. Immunodetection of CYP1A1 protein, with a monoclonal antibody directed against this cytochrome, revealed a 2.9-fold increase in rats exposed to as little as 1.0 ppm Aroclor, and approximately 10- and 44-fold increases following exposure to 3.3 and 10 ppm dietary Aroclor, respectively. Increases in total hepatocellular RNA coding for CYP1A1 and CYP1A2, quantified by hybridization to specific oligonucleotide probes, corresponded well to the increases in hepatic O-dealkylase activity for ethoxyresorufin (CYP1A1) and methoxyresorufin (CYP1A2), respectively. Thus, CYP1A induction, directly or indirectly measured with a variety of endpoints, represents a highly sensitive biomarker for exposure to relatively low doses of Aroclor 1254 in the rat.