Interleukin-6 stimulates phosphorylation of STAT3 in vascular smooth muscle cells. (A) Representative STAT3, phospho-STAT3 (pSTAT3) and beta-actin (loading control), immunoblot of VSMCs, serum starved for 24 hr, then treated without (control) or with 10 mg/mL IL-6 for 3 hr. (B) Densitometric quantification of the fold change in the ratio of pSTAT3/STAT3 abundance in VSMCs treated without (control), or with 10 mg/mL IL-6 for 3 hr (n = 7). *P < 0.05 versus control.