SUMMARY1. C1-channels in the basolateral membrane of non-stimulated parietal cells in isolated rabbit gastric glands were studied by patch-clamp and noise analysis techniques.2. Voltage-independent whole-cell currents were recorded from parietal cells equilibrated with Cl--containing solutions. Upon reducing the Cl-concentration of the basolateral bathing solution, the current-voltage curve was rapidly shifted to the right. The reversal potential changed according to changes in the equilibrium potential for Cl-.3. A Cl-channel blocker, 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoate (NPPB) inhibited whole-cell Cl-currents. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration of NPPB was 300,aM, and the inhibition was reversible (at < 200 /tM). Another Cl-channel blocker, 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-dilsulphonic acid or diphenylamine-2-carboxylate was much less effective.4. The power spectra of whole-cell Cl-current fluctuations contained one Lorentzian component. The single Cl-channel conductance was estimated to be 0 35 pS by the variance noise analysis, which is in agreement with the value obtained by a method of power spectrum analysis (0 29 pS).5. The addition of arachidonic acid (10 /iiM) to the basolateral medium markedly increased the whole-cell Cl-current. The combined application of a cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin (50,uM), and a lipoxygenase inhibitor, esculetin (100 /tM), increased the Cl-current, whereas the administration of a phospholipase A2 inhibitor, mepacrine (100 /tM), significantly decreased the whole-cell Cl-current. 6. A sizeable increase in the whole-cell Cl-current was also induced by a metabolite of arachidonic acid, prostaglandin E2 (10 aM), but not by leukotriene B4