Using northern blot analysis, we studied the expression of TGF-β in rabbit atherosclerotic plaque, heart and vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMC) of spontaneous hypertension rats. These results demonstrated that the expression of TGF-β in the above tissues and cells was significantly increased and that Ang-Ⅱ could induce the expression of TGF-β in SHR-derived cultured VSMC. These results suggested that TGF-β might play an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases.