This study examined the effects of astilbin, a flavanone, on delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions and its mechanisms of action on cell migration. Astilbin significantly inhibited the sheep-red-bloodcell-induced footpad reaction and picryl-chloride-induced ear dermatitis without affecting the organ weights, when administered during the effector phase but not the induction phase. The flavanone also significantly inhibited the migration to gelatin of spleen cells isolated from mice with ear dermatitis in a transwell system. Furthermore, the isolated spleen cells from normal mice were incubated with astilbin in the presence of concanavalin A, or those from mice with ear dermatitis were cultured with astilbin. In the supernatants collected, the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) MMP-2 and MMP-9 was remarkably inhibited by astilbin. These results suggest that astilbin may inhibit delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions through selectively suppressing the lymphocyte functions, including cell migration, via down-regulating MMP activity