We investigated the damage caused by oxidative stress using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model biological system. After inducing oxidative stress with menadione, we were able to evaluate the extent of cellular oxidative stress by utilizing 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) as a marker of the presence of reactive oxygen species. Cells were grown on different carbon sources in order to compare fermentative and oxidative metabolism. Under these conditions we evaluated the effectiveness of idebenone (2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-(10- hydroxydecyl)-1,4-benzoquinone) as a molecule that could relieve menadione-induced growth inhibition in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.