Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenol in green tea, has been considered a potential therapeutic and chemopreventive agent for cancer. Glioma is a malignant tumor with high mortality but effective therapy has not yet been developed. In this study, we found that EGCG induced apoptosis in U251 glioma cells via the laminin receptor (molecular weight 67kDa) in a time- and dose-dependent manner, decreased their invasiveness and inhibited their proliferation. The mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway was shown to be involved in glioma cell apoptosis and proliferation. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 were reduced after EGCG treatment. These results suggest that EGCG has important therapeutic effects with low toxicity and side-effects, and could be used in cancer chemoprevention.