Vascular smooth muscle cells from injured rat aortas display elevated matrix production associated with transforming growth factor-beta activity.

The arterial response to injury is characterized by a short period of increased proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, followed by an extended period of extracellular matrix accumulation in the intima. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has been implicated as a causative factor in the formation of extracellular matrix in this process, which leads to progressive thickening of the intima, known as intimal hyperplasia. In vitro analysis of vascular smooth muscle cells harvested from normal rat aortas and from aortas injured 14 days earlier showed that both types of cells attached equally well to culture dishes but that the initial spreading of the cells was increased in cells derived from injured vessels. Cells from the injured arteries produced more fibronectin and proteoglycans into the culture medium than the cells from normal arteries and contained more TGF-beta 1 mRNA. TGF-beta 1 increased proteoglycan synthesis by normal smooth muscle cells, and the presence of a neutralizing anti-TGF-beta 1 antibody reduced proteoglycan synthesis by the cells from injured arteries in culture. Fibronectin synthesis was not altered by these treatments. These results indicate that the accumulation of extracellular matrix components in neointimal lesions is at least partially caused by autocrine TGF-beta activity in vascular smooth muscle cells.