Necturus gallbladder epithelial cells exhibited volume regulatory swelling when exposed to a hypertonic mucosal bathing solution. The initial, osmotically induced shrinkage was followed by a rapid increase in cell volume back to the control value despite continuing hypertonicity of the mucosal perfusate. This volume regulatory increase occurred by osmotic water flow accompanying the transient cellular uptake of NaCl from the mucosal bathing solution. Volume regulatory increase required Na+ and Cl- in the mucosal bath; it was inhibited by amiloride or 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid but not by bumetanide or ouabain. The K1/2 for Na+ was 2.8 mM, the K1/2 for Cl- was 1.9 mM, and maximum velocity of fluid flow into the cell for both ions was greater than 10 x 10(-6) cm/s. Both volume regulatory increase and transepithelial fluid absorption involve NaCl flux across the apical membrane into the cells, but the nature of the NaCl fluxes differ in the two processes. During volume regulatory increase NaCl enters the cells by parallel Na+-H+ and Cl(-)-HCO-3 exchanges, whereas during transepithelial fluid absorption NaCl enters the cell by the coupled flux of NaCl.