Tetrandrine (TET) has been reported to induce anti-cancer activity in many human cancer cells and also to inhibit cancer cell migration and invasion. However, there are no reports to show TET inhibits cell migration and invasion in human brain glioblastoma multiforme GBM 8401 cells. In this study, we investigated the anti-metastasis effects of TET on GBM 8401 cells in vitro. Under sub-lethal concentrations (from 1, 5 up to 10 μM), TET significantly inhibited cell mobility, migration and invasion of GBM 8401 cells that were assayed by wound healing and Transwell assays. Gelatin zymography assay showed that TET inhibited MMP-2 activity in GBM 8401 cells. Western blotting results indicated that TET inhibited several key metastasis-related proteins, such as p-EGFR (Tyr1068) , SOS-1, GRB2, Ras, p-AKT (Ser473) and p-AKT (Thr308) , NF-κB-p65, Snail, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, NF-κB, MMP-2 and MMP-9 that were significant reduction at 24 and 48 hours treatment by TET. TET reduced MAPK signaling associated proteins such as p-JNK1/2 and p-c-Jun in GBM 8401 cells. The electrophoretic mobility shift (EMSA) assay was used to investigate NF-κB and DNA binding was reduced by TET in a dose-dependently. Based on these findings, we suggested that TET could be used in anti-metastasis of human brain glioblastoma multiforme GBM 8401 cells in the future. K E Y W O R D S GBM 8401 cells, migration and invasion, MMP-2, NF-κB, Tetrandrine (TET) 1 | INTRODUCTION Malignant glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are the most common and aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in humans and can be a fatal tumor because of difficulties in treating the related metastasis due to the high proliferation rate and invasiveness. 1-5 Currently, the treatment of GBM is the local irradiation, and conventional chemotherapy with temozolomide (TMZ) or surgical resection in combination with radiotherapy and chemotherapy but the median survival rate is only 8-15 months. 4-6 About 20% of patients after treated with TMZ have shown the clinical toxicity. 7 Due to the side effects of TMZ chemotherapy that leading to the limited efficiency. Thus, bases on the Yun-Lian Lin and Jing-Gung Chung contributed equally to this study.