This study was designed to elucidate the mechanism of nephrotoxicity caused by antitumor agent tetraphosphine platinum (II) complex (RC-1), which was synthesized as a tetraphosphine Pt (II) derivatives recently. Rats treated with RC-1 (20mg/kg/day) showed the increase of BUN value and malondialdehyde contents in kidney homogenate, compared to the control and which means the lipid peroxidation was a main cause of nephrotoxicity. In order to investigate the cytotoxic mechanism of RC-1, we also tested and revealed the generation of oxygen free radicals derived from neutrophil stimulated by RC-1 and interaction of the oxygen free radicals with the erythrocyte membrane. From the above results, we suggest that nephrotoxicity of general platinum (II) antitumor compounds as well as RC-1 were inhibited by radical scavengers.