Fig. 8.

JNK inhibition attenuates insulin-induced collagen synthesis and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in ANG II-pretreated VSMCs. VSMCs were pretreated with ANG II (100 nM) for 18 h and then exposed to 100 nM insulin for 18 h (A) or 24 h (B). Cells were pretreated with SP600125 (30 nM, 30 min) before ANG II incubation. Collagen I mRNA was measured by quantitative RT-PCR. Expression of α-SMA was determined using immunofluorescence. Bar graphs represent means ± SE (n = 4). *P < 0.05 compared with control; #P < 0.05 compared with insulin stimulation with ANG II pretreatment.