Non-irradiated bystander human glioblastoma T98G cells were co-cultured (CC) with irradiated cells or treated with conditioned medium (CM) from irradiated cells under hypoxic condition, then micronucleus (MN) of both irradiated cells and bystander cells were measured for the investigation of radiation induced bystander effect and its mechanism. It has been found that the MN yield (,Y,MN,) of non-irradiated bystander T98G cells is obviously enhanced after the cell co-culture, or CM treatment, but this increment is diminished by free radical scavenger, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). When hypoxic or normoxic T98G cells are treated with CM obtained from irradiated cells under either hypoxic or normoxic condition, the biggest bystander response has been observed in the group of hypoxic bystander cells treated with CM from irradiated normoxic cells. However, all of these increments of bystander ,Y,MN, could be eliminated by aminoguanidine, an iNOS inhibitor. Therefore, under hypoxic condition, free radicals, especially reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide, are involved in the bystander response induced by irradiated T98G cells.