Artemisinin inhibits glycosaminoglycan chain synthesizing gene expression but not proliferation of human vascular smooth muscle cells.

Pleotropic growth factor, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β drives the modification and elongation of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains on proteoglycans. Hyperelongated GAG chains bind and trap lipoproteins in the intima leading to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. We have identified that phosphorylation of Smad2 linker region drives GAG chain modification.