1. The activation of proguanil to cycloguanil by human liver microsomes was studied to define the cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms involved in this reaction. 2. Apparent Km values for proguanil ranged from 35 microM to 183 microM with microsomes from four human livers. 3. There was a 6.3-fold range of activity with microsomes from seventeen human livers. Rates of proguanil activation correlated significantly with CYP3A activities (benzo[a]pyrene metabolism, caffeine 8-oxidation and omeprazole sulphone formation) and CYP3A immunoreactive content. There was also a highly significant correlation with rates of hydroxyomeprazole formation. Correlations with activities selective for CYP1A2, CYP2C9/10 and CYP2E1, and with immunoreactive CYP1A2 content were not significant. 4. Proguanil activation was inhibited by R,S-mephenytoin, troleandomycin and by inhibitory anti-CYP3A antiserum and anti-CYP2C IgG and was activated by alpha-naphthoflavone. Inhibitors selective for CYP1A2, CYP2E1, CYP2A6 or CYP2C9/10 had little or no effect on proguanil activation. The extents of inhibition by R,S-mephenytoin, troleandomycin and the two antibodies varied with the immunoreactive CYP3A content of the microsomes used. 5. It is concluded that proguanil activation to cycloguanil by human liver microsomes is mediated both by S-mephenytoin hydroxylase and isoforms of the CYP3A subfamily. This has implications for the use of proguanil as an in vivo probe for the S-mephenytoin poor metaboliser phenotype.