The renal tubular transport of the organic cations tetraethylammonium (TEA), N1-methylnicotinamide (NMN), and choline was studied in anesthetized rabbits by the urinary clearance technique. The clearance ratio of [14C]TEA/inulin was 5.72 +/- 0.44 and the clearance ratio of [14C]TEA/p-aminohippuric acid (PAH) was 0.98 +/- 0.02. The clearance ratio of the 14C label/inulin when [14C]NMN was being infused was only 1.31. The clearance ratio of choline/inulin was less than 1 at choline infusion loads from 0 to about 6 mumol . kg-1 . min-1, which produced a plasma choline level of 100 microM. At higher infusion rates the urinary clearance ratio of choline/inulin rose to a maximum of 2 at plasma choline levels of 300-500 microM. Renal metabolism of choline and NMN were revealed by the use of the isolated perfused rabbit kidney. [14C]Choline was extensively metabolized by the kidney into betaine. The renal metabolite of [14C]NMN comigrated with nicotinamide in electrophoresis. The relatively low urinary clearance of the label associated with NMN in the rabbit presents a striking difference from its transport in dog and rat. Studies using isolated perfused segments are done using tissue from rabbits primarily. These data from the intact rabbit kidney may be used to guide future studies of organic cation transport with isolated perfused segments.