Uptake of adenosine, a putative inhibitory transmitter or modulator, was investigated in rat cerebral cortical synaptosomes. The accumulation of [3H] adenosine into synaptosomes, using an adenosine concentration of 10 microM, was linear for 30 min at 30 degrees C. The uptake appeared to be mediated by kinetically saturable processes with apparent Km's of 1 microM ("high-affinity A") and 5 microM ("high-affinity B"), both of which were partially sensitive to the presence of external sodium and calcium ions. Both uptake processes were partially inhibited by 2,4-dinitrophenol, implying the presence of active uptake and diffusional components. A study of the metabolites of adenosine taken up by the two uptake systems indicates that the major metabolites were adenosine and nucleotides. However, adenosine incorporated by the high-affinity A uptake system is more likely to form deaminated metabolites, such as hypoxanthine and inosine, indicating a possible functional difference between the two uptake processes. A detailed comparison of the inhibitory properties of certain adenosine analogues and other pharmacological agents has revealed differences between the two adenosine uptake systems. Since the glial contamination in synaptosomal preparations is well established, one of the uptake systems we observed in the present study might be of glial origin. This notion is supported by the findings that the Km values and kinetic properties of papaverine action in he synaptosomal high-affinity A uptake system are similar to those of astrocytes reported in the literature. In conclusion, the uptake processes of synaptosomal preparations show that accumulation of adenosine into neuronal (and possibly glial) elements may play a major role in regulating the extracellular adenosine concentration. Uptake inhibitors, such as diazepam, may exert, at least in part, their pharmacological actions by interfering with the regulation of extracellular adenosine concentrations.