By means of selective inhibitors of adenosine deaminase and adenosine kinase, the contributions of two competing pathways for the breakdown of adenosine nucleotides in erythrocytes of man were examined. Under nearly physiological conditions in vitro the main pathway for the irreversible breakdown proceeds from AMP via IMP and inosine to hypoxanthine. Its rate amounts to 12 mumol AMP/l cells X h. At the same time about three times as much AMP, about 40 mumol/l cells X h, are degraded by way of dephosphorylation to adenosine. However, this pathway does not contribute significantly to the production of hypoxanthine, since the adenosine formed is rephosphorylated by adenosine kinase. Both AMP and IMP are dephosphorylated by an unspecific cytosolic acid phosphatase, the maximal activity of which amounts to 660 mumol nucleotide/l cells X h.