Daily subcutaneous injection of gentamicin (100 mg/kg) for 2 days produced a significant decrease in the activities of alkaline phosphatase, a brush-border membrane marker, and Na+-K+ ATPase, a basolateral membrane marker, in adult rat kidney cortex. Analysis of homogenate and lysosomal fractions revealed a significant rise in the concentration of total renal cortical phospholipid, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylinositol. In the lysosomal fraction, an increase in the levels of phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine was also noted. Daily, oral chlorphentermine (60 mg/kg) administration for 5 days significantly reduced renal Na+-K+ ATPase without a marked change in alkaline phosphatase. As in the case of gentamicin, chlorphentermine produced a significant elevation in phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylinositol as well as total phospholipid in both the homogenate and lysosomal fractions of kidney cortex. The observed chlorphentermine- or gentamicin-induced renal phospholipidosis was associated with a significant reduction in the activity of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. The drug-induced inhibition of phospholipase C was quantitatively equal in the renal cortical homogenate and lysosomal fractions. In addition, gentamicin significantly inhibited the activity of phosphatidylserine-phospholipase C and phosphatidylcholine-phospholipase C in renal cortical homogenate. In contrast, only the activity of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C was decreased in chlorphentermine-treated kidneys. Evidence thus indicates that the gentamicin-induced accumulation of phospholipid in renal cortical lysosomes is associated with inhibition of various forms of phospholipase C, while in the case of chlorphentermine the inhibition of different phospholipases may be involved in phospholipid accumulation.