Intrahepatic cholestasis in the setting of extrahepatic bacterial infection has been attributed to the effects of endotoxin and cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) on bile acid transport. To define the mechanism of sepsis-associated cholestasis, taurocholate transport was examined in basolateral (bLPM) and canalicular (cLPM) rat liver plasma membrane vesicles derived from control and endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS)]-treated animals and in plasma membrane vesicles prepared after TNF-alpha treatment. Na(+)-dependent [3H]taurocholate uptake and both membrane-potential-dependent and ATP-dependent [3H]taurocholate transport were reduced in bLPM and cLPM vesicles, respectively, after LPS treatment. In membrane vesicles from TNF-alpha-treated animals, Na(+)-dependent [3H]taurocholate uptake was also reduced. Northern blot hybridization, using cDNA probes for the putative sinusoidal bile acid transporter (Ntcp) and canalicular ecto-adenosinetriphosphatase, demonstrated decreased mRNA levels after LPS and TNF-alpha treatment. Immunoblot analysis of membrane extracts from LPS-treated animals revealed decreased levels of these putative bile acid transporters. Impaired bile acid transport at the sinusoidal and canalicular membrane domains by these and other mediators of the inflammatory response may account for sepsis-associated cholestasis.