Dienaldehydes are by-products of peroxidation of polyunsaturated lipids and commonly found in many foods or food-products. Both National Cancer Institute (NCI) and NTP have expressed great concern on the potential genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of dienaldehydes. Trans, trans-2,4-decadienal (tt-DDE or 2,4-De), a specific type of dienaldehyde, is abundant in heated oils and has been associated with lung adenocarcinoma development in women due to their exposure to oil fumes during cooking. Cultured human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B cells) were exposed to 0.1 or 1.0 microM tt-DDE for 45 days, and oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, GSH/GSSG ratio, cell proliferation, and expression of TNFalpha and IL-1beta were measured. The results show that tt-DDE induced oxidative stress, an increase in ROS production, and a decrease in GSH/GSSG ratio (glutathione status) in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of BEAS-2B cells with 1.0 microM tt-DDE for 45 days increased cell proliferation and the expression and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFalpha and IL-1beta. Cotreatment of BEAS-2B cells with antioxidant N-acetylcysteine prevented tt-DDE-induced cell proliferation and release of cytokines. Therefore, these results suggest that tt-DDE-induced changes may be due to increased ROS production and enhanced oxidative stress. Since increased cell proliferation and the release of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta are believed to be involved in tumor promotion, our results suggest that tt-DDE may play a role in cancer promotion. Previous studies on dienaldehydes have focused on their genotoxic or carcinogenic effects in the gastrointestinal tract; the present study suggests a potential new role of tt-DDE as a tumor promoter in human lung epithelial cells.