Elaeagnus glabra (Thunb.), an evergreen shrub with alternate leaves, has been used as a medicinal plant in Korea. Since many plant-derived molecules have inhibitory effects on tumor cell invasion, primarily via suppression of the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), we investigated the effect of the methanol extract of E. glabra on tumor cell invasion. The invasiveness of HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells were reduced in a dose-dependent manner following 24 h treatment of up to 200 microg/ml of the E. glabra extract, at which concentration no cytotoxicity occurred. Furthermore, gelatinolytic activities, and the protein and mRNA levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were also suppressed with increasing concentrations of the extract. Given that MMP-2 and MMP-9 are instrumental in tumor cell invasion, it is very likely that the reduction in tumor cell invasion by E. glabra extract is a consequence, at least in part, of suppressed expression of both MMP-2 and MMP-9. Isolation of a molecule(s) responsible for the extract inhibition of tumor cell invasion would pave the way for the development of a new generation of metastasis inhibitors.