14 microsomal cytochromes P-450 were purified from the liver of untreated and phenobarbital- or 3-methylcholanthrene-treated male rats. Following solubilization of microsomes with sodium cholate, poly(ethylene glycol) fractionation and aminohexyl-Sepharose 4B chromatography, cytochromes P-450 were purified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), using a preparative DEAE-anion-exchange column. The pass-through fraction was further purified by HPLC using a cation-exchange column. Other fractions eluted on preparative DEAE-HPLC were further applied onto an HPLC using a DEAE-column. Five kinds (P-450UT-2-6), four kinds (P-450PB-1,2,4 and 5) and five kinds (P-450MC-1-5) of cytochromes P-450 were purified from untreated rats or rats treated with phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene, respectively. HPLC profiles of tryptic peptides of cytochromes P-450UT-2 and P-450MC-2 were identical and the other profiles obtained from seven purified cytochromes P-450 were distinct from each other. Amino-terminal sequences of eight forms of cytochrome P-450 (UT-2, UT-5, PB-1, PB-2, PB-4, PB-5, MC-1 and MC-5) were distinct except for cytochromes P-450PB-4 and P-450PB-5.