miR-142-3p improved HG-induced EndMT through TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway. pcDNA-TGF-β1 and miR-142-3p mimics were co-transfected into HAECs, followed by HG treatment for 5 days, after which the cells were harvested for subsequent experiment. A. The protein levels of TGF-β1, Smad2, phospho-Smad2, Smad2 and phospho-Smad3 were measured by Western Blot. B. The bands were semi-quantitatively analyzed by using Image J software, normalized to β-actin density. Data represent the mean ± SD of three independent experiments. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs. NC group. ##P < 0.01 vs. HG + mimics group.