Direct genotoxic effects of the alkylating agent dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) have been difficult to detect in several short-term tests. We simplified our method to detect DNA breaks induced by DMN in rat liver primary cell cultures, and increased its sensitivity about 150 times by changing the conditions of ultracentrifugation and exposure to DMN. Additionally we increased 4 times the sensitivity of the improved assay by isolating hepatocytes from rats treated with phenobarbital (PB). Treatment for 24 h with 60 microM and 13.5 microM DMN of hepatocytes isolated from untreated and PB-treated rats, respectively, decreased the molecular weight of DNA by 50%. After 24 h exposure to 13.5 microM [14C]DMN, hepatocytes from PB-treated rats incorporated 3 times more radioactivity into trichloroacetic acid precipitable material than hepatocytes from untreated rats. Also PB-treatment increased remarkably cytotoxic effects of DMN while it did not modify the cytotoxicity nor the genotoxicity of the direct-acting alkylating agent N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. These results show that DMN is more genotoxic for hepatocytes from PB-treated rats, and suggest that the enhanced genotoxicity is probably due to an augmented metabolism of DMN by these cultures. Our improved assay of DNA breaks as an indicator of DMN genotoxicity is now as sensitive but faster to perform than hepatocyte-mediated mutagenesis. It could be used to explore genotoxic effects of other alkylating agents and the action of microsomal enzyme modifiers on genotoxicity.