Myo-intimal proteoglycan metabolism is thought to be important in blood vessel homeostasis, blood clotting, atherogenesis, and atherosclerosis. Human platelet-derived transforming growth factor type beta (TGF-beta) specifically stimulated synthesis of at least two types of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in nonproliferating human adult arterial smooth muscle cells in culture. Stimulation of smooth muscle cell proteoglycan synthesis by smooth muscle cell growth promoters (epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, and heparin-binding growth factors) was less than 20% of that elicited by TGF-beta. TGF-beta neither significantly stimulated proliferation of quiescent smooth muscle cells nor inhibited proliferating cells. The extent of TGF-beta stimulation of smooth muscle cell proteoglycan synthesis was similar in both nonproliferating and growth-stimulated cells. TGF-beta, which is a reversible inhibitor of endothelial cell proliferation, had no comparable effect on endothelial cell proteoglycan synthesis. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that TGF-beta is a cell-type-specific regulator of proteoglycan synthesis in human blood vessels and may contribute to the myo-intimal accumulation of proteoglycan in atherosclerotic lesions.