Binding sites of apolipoprotein (apo) C III on non-parenchymal cells (NPC) isolated from rat liver were found. Apo C III was purified from delipided human plasma very low density lipoproteins. 125I-labeled-apo C III was prepared by chloramine-T method. Non-parenchymal cells were isolated from rat liver by collagenase method. Freshly isolated rat liver NPC bound 125I-labeled apo C III in a saturable way with Kd 0.1-0.55 mumol/L and Bmax 18.1-42.0 ng/ml cell protein. There were about 1.0-4.5 x 10(5) specific binding sites of apo C III on each NPC. Unlabeled apo C III, but not apo AI and B100, could inhibit these binding activities. The results demonstrate the presence of saturable and specific apo C III receptors (binding sites) on rat liver NPC, but their nature and biologic properties remain to be investigated.