The absence of estrogen receptors (ER) in human breast tumors has been associated with a poorer prognosis compared to patients with ER positive breast cancer. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that a multidrug resistant human breast cancer cell line selected for resistance to Adriamycin (ADR) exhibited markedly increased expression of both the pi class glutathione S-transferase (GST-pi) and the selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase. These studies also revealed that the ER status was inversely related to the expression of GST-pi in six human breast cancer cell lines and primary tumor specimens. In the present study, we have examined the relationship between ER status and several biological properties of these cells, including their levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase expression, their capacity to generate toxic hydroxyl radicals (degrees OH) by redox cycling of ADR, and their sensitivities to the cytotoxic effects of ADR and the oxidant, H2O2. Our results show that expression of GSH-Px, but not catalase, is inversely related to the ER status in these cell lines. Formation of the degree OH induced by treatment of cells with ADR was inversely proportional to the GSH-Px activity in these cell lines, and thus directly related to the ER status. Sensitivity of these cells to ADR or to H2O2, however, was not consistently related to ER status, GSH-Px, or catalase activity, or to ADR induced degree OH radical formation. These results indicate that these parameters are not predictive of cellular susceptibility to oxidative damage in these cell lines under the conditions studied.