Neutral amino acid pathways were investigated as possible mediators of L-thyroxine (T4) entry into ascites cells. 14C-Labeled T4, alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), L-phenylalanine (Phe), and cycloleucine (cLeu) uptakes were measured at initial extracellular amino acid concentrations of 1 muM in a modified Krebs-Ringer phosphate buffer, pH 7.4. T4 uptake was markedly slower than that of AIB, Phe, or cLeu over a 25-min period. T4 uptake was neither competitively stimulated nor inhibited by either AIB or Phe when these latter amino acids were varied over the concentration range 1.0 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-2) M. Preloading cells with 30 mM L-methionine did not enhance the uptake of T4. TJ efflux from preloaded cells was not affected by either AIB or Phe in the extracellular fluid (ECF). The uptakes of AIB, Phe, and cLeu were markedly altered by replacement of ECF Na+ with choline+, whereas T4 uptake was unchanged. It was concluded that neural amino acid transport pathways (specifically A, L, ASC, and beta) do not participate in the transmembrane transfer of L-thyroxine into Ehrlich ascites cells.