Context Gynura bicolour (Roxb. and Willd.) DC (Asteraceae) leaf is a common vegetable. Ethanol extracts of fresh G. bicolour leaves (GBEE) have several physiological effects, but studies on atherosclerosis are limited. Objective We investigated the oxidant scavenging ability and vascular adhesion molecule expression of these extracts. Materials and methods The antioxidant effects of 0.05–0.4 mg/mL GBEE were analyzed in vitro . Intracellular antioxidant capacity and adhesion molecule levels were detected in EA.hy926 cells pre-treated with 10–100 μg/mL GBEE for 8 h, then TNF-α for 3 h. The antioxidant capacity of red blood cells and the adhesion molecule levels in the thoracic aorta were detected in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed Sprague–Dawley rats treated with GBEE for 12 weeks. Results The in vitro EC 50 values of GBEE based on its DPPH radical-scavenging ability, reducing power, and ferrous ion-chelating ability were 0.20, 3.21 and 0.49 mg/mL, respectively. In TNF-α-treated EA.hy926 cells, the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance levels were decreased after 10, 50, or 100 μg/mL GBEE treatments (IC 50 : 19.1 mg/mL). When HFD-fed rats were co-treated with GBEE, the GBEE-H group exhibited 25% higher glutathione levels than the HFD group ( p < 0.05). E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and vascular cell adhesion protein-1 levels were decreased in TNF-α-treated EA.hy926 cells after GBEE treatment (by approximately 11–73%; p < 0.05), and the above three adhesion molecules levels were decreased in HFD-fed rats with combined GBEE treatment (by approximately 30–77%; p < 0.05). Conclusions GBEE can protect the vascular endothelium by reducing adhesion molecule expression and regulating antioxidants. It may have the potential to prevent atherosclerosis.

AFM topographical image (40 × 40 µm 2 ) of a hepatocellular carcinoma cell with illustrations depicting the location and profile of force/adhesion measurements made on the cell surface and on the substrate. We have demonstrated that adhesion expression in Hepatocellular carcinoma cells is differentiation stage dependent. For more details on this figure, please see pp 929~933 in this issue.

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Cell migration influences many normal and pathological processes and is one of key issues addressed in cancer research studies. In this report, a plasma patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate was used to selectively position hepatocarcinoma cells in order to characterize their migration behavior. We observed that cell mobility was directly related to the differentiation stage of the cells, with poorly-differentiated (SK-Hep-1) cells exhibiting higher mobility that well-differentiated (Hep-G2) cells. We propose that this difference occurs due to a loss of adhesion molecules presented at the apical membranes of the poorly-differentiated SK-Hep-1 cells, thereby reducing their adhesion to the surface. Our results provide new insight into the relationship between carcinoma cell differentiation grade and mobility. Further this experimental process may provide a simple and effective model for universal cell biology studies and applications in microsystems technology.