The mechanism(s) by which iron in blood is transported across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains controversial. Here we have examined the first step of this trans-cellular pathway, namely the mechanism(s) of iron uptake into human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMVEC). We show that hBMVEC actively reduce non-transferrin bound Fe III (NTBI) and transferrin-bound Fe III (TBI); this activity is associated with one or more ferrireductases. Efficient, exo-cytoplasmic ferri-reduction from TBI is dependent upon transferrin receptor (TfR), also. Blocking holo-Tf binding with an anti-TfR antibody significantly decreases the reduction of iron from transferrin by hBMVEC, suggesting that holo-Tf needs to bind to TfR in order for efficient reduction to occur. Ferri-reduction from TBI significantly decreases when hBMVEC are pre-treated with Pt II , an inhibitor of cell surface reductase activity. Uptake of 59 Fe from 59 Fe-Tf by endothelial cells is inhibited by 50% when ferrozine is added to solution; in contrast, no inhibition occurs when cells are alkalinized with NH 4 Cl. This indicates that the iron reduced from holo-transferrin at the plasma membrane accounts for at least 50% of the iron uptake observed. hBMVEC-dependent reduction and uptake of NTBI utilizes a Pt II -insensitive reductase. Reductase-independent uptake of Fe II by hBMVEC is inhibited up to 50% by Zn II and/or Mn II by a saturable process suggesting that redundant Fe II transporters exist in the hBMVEC plasma membrane. These results are the first to demonstrate multiple mechanism(s) of TBI and NTBI reduction and uptake by endothelial cells (EC) of the BBB.