Malignant glioma, also known as brain cancer, is the most common intracranial tumor, having an extremely high mortality and recurrence rate. The survival rate of the affected patients is very low and treatment is difficult. Hence, growth inhibition of glioma has become a hot topic in the study of brain cancer treatment. Among the various isothiocyanate compounds, it has been confirmed that benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) can inhibit the growth of a variety of tumors, including leukemia, glioma and lung cancer, both inside and outside the body. This study explored inhibitory effects of BITC on human glioma U87MG cells, as well as potential mechanisms. It was found that BITC could inhibit proliferation, induce apoptosis and arrest cell cycling of U87MG cells. In addition, it inhibited the expression of SOD and GSH, and caused oxidative stress to tumor cells. Therefore, it is believed that BITC can inhibit the growth of U87MG cells outside the body. Its mechanism may be related to the fact that BITC can cause oxidative stress to tumor cells.