The constituent amino acids of reduced glutathione (GSH), GSH itself, and D-alpha-tocopherol inhibited 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, L-ornithine carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.17) activity in mouse epidermis in vivo and in vitro. The inhibitory effects of cysteine (Cys), GSH and D-alpha-tocopherol on ODC induction were proportional to their abilities to decrease the incidence of skin tumors in the initiation-promotion protocol. Moreover, the ability of the constituent amino acids of GSH and GSH to inhibit TPA-induced ODC activity correlated well with their ability to increase the ratio of GSH/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in isolated epidermal cells. In vitro, various treatments with 1 mM GSH, 1 mM glutamic acid (Glu), 1 mM glycine (Gly), 0.4 mM Cys and/or 0.2 mM cystine (CysCys) inhibited dramatically the sharp decline in the intracellular ratio of GSH/GSSG caused by 0.1 microM TPA. Since the inhibitory effects of Cys on both the decrease in the ratio of GSH/GSSG and the induction of ODC activity by TPA were greatly reduced by the inhibitors of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, it is suggested that some of the inhibitory effects of Glu, Cys and Gly on tumor promotion could result from their interference with the metabolism of the tripeptide GSH, a natural antioxidant which inhibits chemical carcinogenesis. The free radical scavenger D-alpha-tocopherol, which did not alter directly the intracellular ratio of GSH/GSSG, also prevented completely the decrease in the ratio of GSH/GSSG caused by TPA. These results, therefore, suggest that GSH level-raising agents and other antioxidants might inhibit by diverse means the effects of TPA on GSH metabolism and skin tumor promotion.