Effects of sodium laurylbenzenesulfonate (LBS) on isolated rat hepatocytes were examined. Incubation of isolated hepatocytes with LBS at concentrations of 100 and 1000 μg/ml for a 2-hr period at 37℃ resulted in a rapid decrease of cell viability. Similar decreases were also observed at 0℃. LBS intensely inhibited oxygen uptake in isolated hepatocytes