The effect of bicarbonate (HCO3) on fluid absorption by guinea pig gallbladder was investigated in vitro. Stimulation of fluid absorption was concentration dependent resulting in a fourfold increase in transport over the range 1 to 50 mM. Phosphate, Tris, glycodiazine and glutamine buffers failed to substitute for HCO3 in stimulating absorption. Unidirectional 22Na fluxes were measured across short-circuited sheets of guinea pig and rabbit gallbladders mounted in Ussing-type chambers. In both species the net Na flux was unaffected by serosal HCO3 alone but was stimulated by addition of HCO3 to the mucosal bathing solution. Transepithelial electrical potential difference in rabbit gallbladder was about 1.4 mV (lumen positive) when HCO3 was present in the mucosal or in both compartments. This fell to 0.2 mV under HCO3-free conditions or when HCO3 was present only in the serosal solution. The respective values for guinea pig gallbladder were -1.6 and -0.6 mV (lumen negative). HCO3 stimulation of Na absorption by guinea pig gallbladder was abolished by increasing the bathing pH from 7.4 to 7.8, an effect resulting mainly from a reduction in JNams. Tris buffer (25 mM) inhibited HCO3-dependent fluid absorption in this species completely at pH 8.5 and partially at 7.5. These results indicate that HCO3 stimulates gallbladder transport in both species by an action from the mucosal side. This effect cannot be attributed to simple buffering of H+ but may be explained by the participation of HCO3 in the maintenance of intracellular H+ for a Na/H-exchange.