Bradykinin has been shown to stimulate sugar uptake by intact intestine, but the cellular locus of this action is unknown. In this study on rat we show that bradykinin (10(-7) M) stimulates both sodium-dependent glucose uptake at the brush-border membrane and carrier-mediated movement across the basolateral membrane of upper villus enterocytes. These results suggest a role for bradykinin in the local control of glucose transport though the mechanisms underlying these effects have still to be elucidated.