The effect of pH on the rate of PAH uptake was studied in rabbit renal basolateral membrane vesicles (BLMV) and brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV). In the absence of Na in incubation medium, a decrease in external pH(pH₀) led to an increase in probenecid-sensitive PAH uptake by BLMV. In the presence of Na, the probenecid-sensitive PAH uptake was unaltered when the pH₀ decreased from 8.0 to 6.0 but further decrease in pH₀ to 5.5 increased significantly the uptake. The probenecid-sensitive PAH uptake was not affected by an alteration in pH per se in the absence of a pH gradient with or without the presence of Na. However, the presence of Na stimulated the probenecid-sensitive PAH uptake in all pH ranges tested over that measured in the absence of Na. A similar pattern of pH dependence on the PAH uptake was observed in BBMV but the presence of Na did not alter the probenecid-sensitive PAH uptake in the presence and absence of a pH gradient. Kinetic analysis for BLMV showed that Na or pH gradient increased Vmax of the probenecid-sensitive PAH uptake without a change in Km value. These results suggest that PAH is transported by OH^-/PAH exchange process in the luminal membrane, but the pH dependence in the BLMV is not unequivocally consistent with an anion exchange process. The PAH transport is dependent on Na in BLMV but not in BBMV.