C6 glioma cells treated with 10 mM glutamate reduced intracellular GSH to one-seventh of the initial level, and induced cytolysis accompanied by apoptosis. The treated cells produced extracellular H2O2. The cytolysis of the C6 cells induced by glutamate was prevented by antioxidants such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC), ascorbic acid (ASC), catalase, and NaN3, iron chelators such as deferoxamine and 1,10-phenanthroline, and oxygen radical scavengers such as 5,5'-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) and alpha-phenyl-tert-butyl nitrone (PBN). The effect of these antioxidants, iron chelators, and oxygen radical scavengers on the cytolysis of C6 cells was dependent on the dose and the intracellular GSH level. Furthermore, 1-2 Mbp chromosomal DNA (giant DNA) fragments were observed during cytolysis. The giant DNA fragments were further cleaved into smaller DNA fragments of 200-800 kbp, and then to fragments of less than 300 kbp in size including chromosomal ladder DNA fragments. Such serial chromosomal DNA degradations induced by glutamate were also inhibited by addition of these antioxidants, iron chelators, and oxygen radical scavengers. These findings suggest that glutamate induces GSH depletion, and consequently, apoptosis through endogenously produced active oxygen species in C6 glioma cells and that the apoptosis is accompanied by 1-2 Mbp giant DNA fragmentation prior to the internucleosomal DNA fragmentation.