A rapid and concentration-dependent generation of superoxide anion (·O-2), measured with a superoxide-specific Cypridina luciferin-derived chemiluminescent reagent, was observed when two lanthanide salts (LaCl3 and GdCl3) were added to tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cell suspension culture.Addition of superoxide dismutase (480 U·ml-1) and Tiron (5 μmol·L-1) to cell culture suspension decreases the level of lanthanide cation-induced ·O-2 generation, suggesting that ·O-2 generation is extra-cellular.Pretreatment of the cell culture suspension with diphenyleneiodonium (10 and 50 μmol·L-1), quinacrine (1 and 5 mmol·L-1) and imidazol (10 mmol·L-1), inhibitors of NADPH oxidase, notably inhibits the generation of superoxide induced by lanthanide cation, implying the possible involvement of activation of NADPH oxidase.In addition, addition of SHAM (1 and 5 mmol·L-1), azide (0.2 and 1 mmol·L-1), inhibitor of peroxidase, has no influence on ·O-2 generation.