Butein is a one of polyphenolic compound widely available in numerous plants. It has broad biological activities including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which contributed to its protective effects against cancer. Evidences t hat butein influence proliferation of tumor cells make it important to determine how butein affects cell death of various cancers. In this study, we show that butein, a phenolic compound, induces apoptosis in human T lymphoma jurkat cells. We found that treatment of cells with butein increased apoptosis in a dose- and time- dependent manner as determined by staining cells with Annexin V and 7AAD. There was no significant apoptotic cell death when normal lymphocytes and monocytes from healthy donor were treated with butein. We also found caspase-3 activity was increased during butein-induced apoptosis. The buteininduced apoptotic cell death was blocked by the treatment of cells with caspase-3 inhibitor. These results indicate that butein has the potential to provide an effective strategy against cancer with the advantage of being widely avalible.