Protocatechualdehyde (PA) is phenolic compound having antioxidative and antitumor activities. PA was purified from supernatant of Streptomyces lincolnensis M-20. In the presence of copper ion, PA acted as pro-oxidant. The antioxidant activity was assessed with the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and the pro-oxidant effect of PA on DNA damage as pBR322 plasmid DNA-cleaving agents in the presence of Cu(II) ions was investigated. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the DNA damage was confirmed by the inhibition of the DNA breakage by using glutathione (GSH), specific scavenger of ROS. When the increase in ROS reaches a certain level (the toxic threshold), it may trigger cell death. The formation of the PA/Cu(II) chelate complex was confirmed by reaction with ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA), a well-known chelating agent for metal ions, by using UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis.