The effect of allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, on the intestinal absorption characteristics of 6-mercaptopurine was investigated by in situ and in vitro absorption techniques in rats. In the in situ experiment, the percent disappearance of 6-mercaptopurine from the lumen showed a dependency on initial drug concentration. Most of the 6-mercaptopurine that was lost from the lumen appeared as its metabolite, 6-thiouric acid, in the lumen. Dose-dependency of 6-mercaptopurine disappearance from the lumen and the biotransformation of drug to 6-thiouric acid were not observed in the presence of allopurinol. The in vitro data supported the results of the in situ experiment. In addition, allopurinol increased the serosal transfer in vitro and the mesenteric appearance of 6-mercaptopurine in situ by inhibiting the biotransformation to 6-thiouric acid. These results suggested that the type of absorption characteristics observed with 6-mercaptopurine was due to its metabolism by xanthine oxidase in the intestine.