The inhibitory effects of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on the invasion of human malignant melanoma cell line A375 and the possible molecular mechanisms of this effect were investigated. A375 cells were pretreated with 20 microg/mL EGCG for 24, 48 and 72 h respectively and the E-cadherin expression was detected by Western blot analysis. A375 cells were also pretreated with different concentrations of EGCG (1, 5, 10 and 20 microg/mL) for 72 h and the expression of E-cadherin was measured by RT-PCR. The adhesion and invasion of A375 cells were tested by cell-matrigel adhesion assay and matrigel invasion assay respectively. The results showed that EGCG could significantly up-regulate the expression of E-cadherin time-and concentration-dependently (both P<0.05). Statistical analysis showed that A375 cells invasion was inhibited by EGCG and correlated with the up-regulation of E-cadherin expression. It was suggested that EGCG strongly inhibited invasion of A375 cells, and the inhibition mechanism was possibly associated with the up-regulation of E-cadherin expression.