Betaine is one of the major water-soluble components in Lycii Fructus. In the present study the effect of repeated betaine treatment on the hepatotoxicity and the cytochrome P-4 50-dependent enzyme system was examined in adult female rats. Administrations of betaine (100 or 1,000mg/kg/day, ip) to rats repeatedly for 4 or 9 days did not evoke hepatotoxic response as determined by increases in glutamic pyruvic transaminase(GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT) activities measured 24 hours following the final dose of betaine. The activities of aminopyrine N-demethylase, p-nitroanisole O-demethylase and p-nitrophenol hydroxylase as well as the contents of cytochrome P-450 were determined in hepatic microsomes of rats treated with betaine(1,000mg/kg/day, ip) for 4 or 9 days. Repeated treatment of rats with betaine for a period of 4 days induced a marginal decrease in the contents of cytochrome P-450, but did not influence the activities of p-nitrophenol hydroxylase, p-nitroanisole O-demethylase, or aminopyrine N-demethylase. Extension of the betaine treatment to 9 consecutive days failed to alter the parameters for hepatic drug metabolizing activity determined in the present study. Since repeated large doses of betaine were demonstrated to be tolerated by rats without showing any toxicity or changes in drug metabolizing enzyme activities in the liver, this compound appears to be relatively safe to animals upon long-term ingestion.