The characteristics of two established renal cell lines (LLC-PKI and OK) and of primary cultures of rabbit and human proximal tubule cells are described by summarizing the literature about speczjic properties retained by these cells in culture. Furthermore, comparative biochemical and functional properties are presented including both specijic marker enzymes and transport properties of these cells grown in various media. 7he impact of culture medium composition on the expressed cellular phenotype is discussed and its consequences on the projile of t o i c response due to aminoglycoside antibiotics is analyzed. The in vitro nephrotoxicity of three platinum-containing coordination complexes which exhibited different in vivo nephrotoxic potentials is studied by another technique in a model of rabbit proximal tubule cells in primary cultures in order to correlate results to in vivo data and to dejne reliable and sensitive parameters for the assessment of platinum-derivativeinduced nephrotoxicity. Although animal cell lines have been established in serumsupplemented madium, LLC-PK1 and OK cells as well as primary cultures of proximal tubules are successfully grown in hormonally dejined medium, the standardization of which is better controlled for nephrotoxicity studies.