To clarify the contribution of glial cells to octanoate uptake into the brain, we determined the effects of fluoroacetate, a selective inhibitor of glial metabolism, on in vitro brain uptake of [1-14C]octanoate, using rat brain slices. The [1-14C]octanoate uptake significantly decreased, depending on the concentration of fluoroacetate (p = 0.001). The [1-14C]octanoate uptakes at 5 mM (0.23 +/- 0.05% uptake/mg slice) and 25 mM fluoroacetate (0.12 +/- 0.01% uptake/mg slice) were significantly lower than that at control (0.29 +/- 0.02% uptake/mg slice, p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). The results demonstrate the contribution of glial cells to octanoate uptake into the brain. The potential of [1-11C]octanoate as a PET tracer for studying glial functions is suggested.