Vascular smooth muscle cell is a major cell component involved in the process of atherosclerosis. In the present study, we investigated the effects of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB dimer on the expression of macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) in vascular smooth muscle cells isolated from human umbilical artery. On Northern blot analysis of total RNAs isolated from smooth muscle cells, with human cDNA for M-CSF, a marked dose-dependent reduction of mRNA level was found in PDGF-BB-treated smooth muscle cells. Cellular production of M-CSF was estimated by immunoblot analysis of cell lysate with specific polyclonal antibody against recombinant human M-CSF. A concentration of 10 ng/ml PDGF-BB significantly reduced M-CSF mass in smooth muscle cells compared with that in the absence of PDGF-BB. These results suggest that PDGF-BB plays an important role in the cellular metabolism of vascular wall by regulating the rate of M-CSF production in vascular smooth muscle cells.