The importance of side-chain charge on hepatic uptake and biliary secretion of bile acids and analogues was studied using the isolated, perfused rat liver and the anesthetized rat with a bile fistula. Derivatives of cholic acid with negative, neutral, zwitterionic, or positive charges on the side chain were synthesized and studied. Hepatic uptake by the isolated perfused liver, determined by measuring the rate of disappearance of a single 20-mumol bolus added to the perfusate, was strongly influenced by side-chain charge. A fully positively charged bile acid derivative (cholylcholamine) and two fully zwitterionic bile acid derivatives (CHAPS and cholyllysine) showed no appreciable uptake (less than 1% of the uptake rate of cholyltaurine). Bile acid derivatives existing mostly in cationic form (cholylamine) at pH 7.4, in neutral form (cholylglycylhistamine), or in divalent anion form (cholylaspartate and cholylcysteate) had an uptake rate that was greater but only 7-19% that of cholyltaurine. Side-chain charge also appeared to influence the rate of secretion into bile. Bile acids existing in mono- or dianionic form were well secreted (greater than 95% of dose in 2 h) into the bile, but all other derivatives had much lower secretion rates (less than 20% of dose in 2 h). When the biliary secretion of each bile acid derivative was expressed in relation to the amount that had entered the liver, relative secretion rates (presumably from liver cell) into bile decreased in the following order: cholyltaurine greater than cholylaspartate and cholylcysteate greater than CHAPS greater than cholyllysine greater than cholylglycylhistamine approximately equal to cholylamine. In bile fistula rats, cholylaspartate was quantitatively secreted into bile when infused at rates below its secretory maximum, whereas only very low biliary secretion rates of CHAPS were observed even during relatively high infusion rates; cholylamine was cholestatic. The above data show that, although uncharged and anionic derivatives of cholic acid may be taken up by the liver at a moderate rate, only anionic derivatives (both monovalent and divalent) are well secreted from within the liver cell into bile. A single negative charge on the side chain appears to be required for optimal transport of a bile acid from sinusoidal blood to bile.