Uptake of radiolabelled L-arginine was studied in four different kinds of glial cultures, in astroglia-rich primary cultures derived from neonatal rat and mouse brains, in pure murine astrocyte cultures, and in rat glioma cells C6-BU-1. A saturable component of uptake was found in all cases with KM values between 15 and 35 microM and Vmax values between 0.8 and 2.5 nmol.min-1.(mg protein)-1. In addition, in all cell types a non-saturable component dominated total uptake at high concentrations of extracellular arginine. Rates of uptake of arginine were not affected when Na+ or Cl- were absent from the incubation buffer. Carrier-mediated uptake of arginine was reduced by depolarizing concentrations of K+ and strongly inhibited by an excess of lysine or ornithine. Histidine, asparagine, glutamine, citrulline, creatine, NG-nitro-L-arginine, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, or L-canavanine inhibited L-arginine transport to various degrees. Uptake of arginine was not reduced in the presence of serine or alanine cysteic acid, N-methyl-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid, or 2-aminobicyclo-(2.2.1)-heptane-2-carboxylic acid. Rates of uptake of arginine were increased when cells had been preloaded with lysine. Preincubation of primary cultures, but not glioma cells, with bacterial lipopolysaccharide stimulated transport of arginine by increasing the Vmax value of uptake. This stimulation was dependent on protein synthesis. The results suggest that, at physiological concentrations, arginine is taken up into the glial cells with the help of the transport system "y+" for basic amino acids. In glial primary cultures, uptake of arginine appears to be regulated by compounds which also exert influence on nitric oxide synthesis.