Three new butanolides, kotomolide A (1), isokotomolide A (2), and kotomolide B (3), and a new secobutanolide, secokotomolide A (4), along with 21 known compounds were isolated from the leaves of Cinnamomum kotoense. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses. Compound 4 was found to induce significant cell death in the human HeLa cell line. Apoptotic-related DNA damage can be positively related to the dose of compound 4. The DNA damage was measured by the percentage of subG1 (24 h after the treatment of compound 4) as determined by cell cycle analysis and TUNEL assay. Treatment with 4 significantly increased intracellular H2O2 and/or peroxide, nitric oxide (NO) at 1, 3, and 24 h. Our results also showed that compound 4 induced (a) noticeable reduction of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)), (b) activation of caspase 3/7, and (c) up-regulation of the p53 expression. Compound 4-induced DNA damage was found to markedly decrease when the cells were pretreated with an intracellular glutathione supplement (glutathione ethyl ester). These results suggest that an increase of H2O2 and/or peroxide by compound 4 is the initial apoptotic event. The intracellular GSH depletion is a critical event in compound 4-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells.