We have studied degradation of proteins in liver parenchymal cells in culture obtained from mice of various ages. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was microinjected into the cells by the hypertonic-hypotonic method of Okada and Rechsteiner (Cell, 29 (1982) 33-41). Rate of inactivation of HRP was examined biochemically. Average functional half-lives of the enzyme were 50 h, 53 h and 75 h in the cells of young (3-8 months old), middle-aged (18-20 months old) and old (28-30 months old) mice, respectively. Thus, half-life of the inactivation of the enzyme in "old" cells was about 50% longer than that in "young" or "middle-aged" cells, suggesting that rate of protein degradation is lowered in senescent animals.