SMOC1 silencing downregulates the expression levels of fibrosis-associated proteins. (A) ELISA was performed to measure the TGF-β1, COL-I and COL-III expression in MFBs, MFBs transfected with an empty vector, and Ang II-induced MFBs transfected with an empty vector or si-SMOC1. (B) Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and (C) western blot analysis were performed on the expression levels of FN, TGF-β1, COL-I and COL-III in MFBs, MFBs transfected with an empty vector, and Ang II-induced MFBs transfected with an empty vector or si-SMOC1. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, and ***P<0.001 vs. NC; ^P<0.05 and ^^P<0.01 vs. Ang II+NC. SMOC1, SPARC-related modular calcium binding 1; FN, fibronectin; TGF-β1, transforming growth factor β1; COL, collagen; Ang II, angiotensin II; MFBs, myocardial fibroblasts; si, small interfering RNA; NC, negative control.