We have developed an improved assay for microsomal heme oxygenase activity, based on the enzymic release of CO from the alpha-methene bridge of hemin and the quantitation of CO by gas chromatography. The within-run coefficient of variation (CV) of heme oxygenase assays in microsomes from rat tissues (liver, kidney) averaged 8%; the between-run CV averaged 15%. The detection limit for heme oxygenase activity was approximately 1 nmol/h per milligram of microsomal protein. Gas-chromatographic assays of heme oxygenase activities in rat tissues correlated well (r = 0.94) with results by a spectrophotometric assay based on bilirubin production. In untreated rats, heme oxygenase activity averaged 7 +/- 3 nmol/h per milligram of protein (n = 36) in kidney microsomes and 14 +/- 5 nmol/h per milligram of protein (n = 17) in liver microsomes. Heme oxygenase activity was increased 10-fold in kidney microsomes and threefold in liver microsomes from rats killed 17 h after subcutaneous injection of NiCl2 (0.5 mmol/kg body wt). These findings illustrate the efficacy of the gas-chromatographic assay for measuring xenobiotic effects on heme oxygenase activity.