The metabolic and excretory function of the small intestine was investigated after oral and intravenous administration of drugs having an aromatic amino group to rats. After administration of drugs into the intestinal loop at the initial concentration of 0.1 mM, significant excretion of their N-acetylated forms into the lumen was observed. The amount of N-acetyl forms excreted in the lumen were 39.3 +/- 3.5, 63.5 +/- 20.9 and 18.0 +/- 13.8% of disappeared drugs from the lumen for p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), p-aminosalicylic acid and sulfanilic acid, respectively. The excretion of p-acetamidobenzoic acid (Ac-PABA) after the absorption of PABA was reduced by the coadministration with salicylic acid, benzoic acid and 2,4-dinitrophenol. Salicylic acid noncompetitively inhibited the acetylation of PABA by the intestinal N-acetyltransferase. A good correlation was found between the intestinal N-acetyltransferase activities for drugs and the intraluminal excretion of N-acetyl derivatives after intestinal absorption of drugs. These results indicate that a drug having a higher susceptibility to intestinal N-acetyltransferase would undergo a greater excretion into the lumen in its N-acetyl form after intestinal absorption. After intravenous administration of PABA at a dose of 100 mumole/kg, 4.02 +/- 0.51% of dose was excreted in the lumen as Ac-PABA in 30 min. On the other hand, a significantly smaller fraction (2.72 +/- 0.68% of dose) was excreted in the lumen after intravenous injection of 100 mumole/kg of Ac-PABA. The larger excretion of Ac-PABA after administration of PABA indicates the contribution of intestinal metabolism on the transfer of PABA not only after oral, but also after intravenous administration.