Evidence indicates that oxidative stress inhibits cell proliferation in several cell systems. To determine whether the proliferation of Caco-2 cells is inhibited by oxidative stress and to identify any novel key regulatory factors involved in protecting or damaging the intestine from oxidative stress, Caco-2 cells were treated with an oxidizing agent and analyzed by transcriptomic oligonucleotide microarrays. Results indicated that expression of genes involved in cell proliferation and growth, including genes involved in lipid synthesis, cell cycle progression and cell division, angiogenesis, RNA processing and translation, cAMP metabolism, cytoskeleton and cell to cell adhesion, receptor tyrosine kinases, and intracellular and extracellular signaling, were repressed. If an oxidant-induced inhibition in cell proliferation is involved in the pathogenesis of intestinal disease, information gained could help explain the mechanisms contributing to the causes and consequences of intestinal disease and could aid in the elucidation of mechanisms by which intestinal cells protect against oxidative stress.