Compartmentation of 1-naphthol metabolism was inferred from the metabolite pattern and distribution in the isolated mucosa of guinea pig intestine mounted in a flux chamber (Sund and Lauterbach, Arch Pharmacol Toxicol 58: 74-83, 1986). To verify the existence of these compartments the dependence of [35S]sulphate incorporation into 1-naphthol sulphate on the side of administration of 1-naphthol and [35S]sulphate was determined. Isolated mucosae were pre-equilibrated with [35S]-sulphate (5 x 10(6) cpm/mumol, 1 mM) for 30 min and subsequently incubated for 15 min with 50 microM 1-naphthol. The three 1-naphthol sulphate fractions (luminal side, blood side and tissue) were assayed by HPLC and liquid scintillation counting; their specific activity was calculated as percentage of the specific activity of the inorganic sulphate administered. 1-Naphthol glucuronide was also measured. In jejunal experiments: after luminal administration of 1-naphthol, 1-naphthol sulphate appeared almost exclusively in the luminal solution; its specific activity approached 70% and 3%, when [35S]sulphate was added to the luminal and blood side, respectively. After introducing 1-naphthol and [35S]sulphate on the blood side, a high and similar specific activity of 50-60% was observed in all three 1-naphthol sulphate fractions (luminal and blood side, tissue) though adding [35S]sulphate to the lumen side decreased the specific activity to 10-20%. In experiments on colonic mucosa: a specific activity both of luminal and blood side 1-naphthol sulphate of more than 50% was observed with blood side [35S]sulphate irrespective of the side of 1-naphthol administration. When [35S]sulphate was placed on the luminal side the specific activity of blood side 1-naphthol sulphate dropped to only 3%, and that of luminal 1-naphthol sulphate ranged between 6% and 20%. Supplementary experiments in which mucosae were exposed to 1-naphthol and [35S]sulphate for 45 min without preincubation showed a tendency to decrease the lumen: blood distribution ratio of 1-naphthol sulphate. However, the general pattern of 1-naphthol sulphate specific activity remained unchanged. The experiments provide further evidence that the jejunal conjugation of phenolic drugs is being performed in two major compartments, which are accessible from the lumen ("luminal compartment") and blood ("systemic compartment") side. The luminal compartment seems practically inaccessible to blood side sulphate as is the systemic compartment for luminal 1-naphthol. In the colonic mucosa, a major "systemic compartment" receiving its sulphate from the blood side is the site for most of the events, but a minor "luminal compartment" seems to be involved as well.