Vascular inflammatory responses are key mediators of endothelial dysfunction that leads to various pathologies in many diseases including atherosclerosis and cancer. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of Malvidin, a natural pigment with strong antioxidant activity, on regulating inflammatory response in endothelial cells. Our results showed that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) significantly increased the protein or mRNA levels of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), whereas pretreatment with Malvidin inhibited TNF-alpha-induced increases of MCP-1, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 production in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, Malvidin could inhibit degradation of IkappaBalpha and the nuclear translocation of p65, which suggesting the anti-inflammation mechanism of Malvidin by the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) pathway. These results indicate the potential role of Malvidin in preventing chronic inflammation in many diseases. CI - (c) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.