Cell adhesion molecules play an important role in inflammatory response, angiogenesis and tumor progression. Butein (tetrahydroxychalcone) is a small molecule from natural sources, known to be a potential therapeutic drug with anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antioxidant activities. In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of butein on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced adhesion molecule expression and its molecular mechanism of action. Butein significantly decreased TNF-α-induced monocyte (U937) cell adhesion to lung epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. Butein also inhibited the protein and mRNA expression of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in TNF-α-stimulated A549 human lung epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. Butein inhibited TNF-α-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation in A549 cells; it also inhibited the phosphorylation of MAPKs and Akt, suggesting that the MAPK/Akt signaling pathway may be involved in the butein-mediated inhibition of TNF-α-induced leukocyte adhesion to A549 cells. Collectively, our results suggest that butein affects cell adhesion through the inhibition of TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression by inhibiting the NF-κB/MAPK/Akt signaling pathway and ROS generation, thereby, elucidating the role of butein in the anti-inflammatory response.