Thrombin is known to stimulate smooth muscle cell (SMC) growth in culture but the mechanisms underlying growth stimulation remain unclear. Previous works have observed a significant increase in platelet-derived growth factor AA and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) release by bovine aortic SMC after addition of thrombin. The aim of this study was to clarify the link between thrombin, bFGF and SMC proliferation by examining the kinetics of autocrine production of bFGF by thrombin-stimulated SMC and its contribution to thrombin-induced mitogenesis. Experiments were performed to assess the dynamics of thrombin-induced bFGF mRNA transcription and to distinguish, following thrombin stimulus, between the activation of 'old' bFGF protein and/or bFGF mRNA. or novel mRNA synthesis and subsequent translation. Bovine aortic SMCs were stimulated with thrombin in serum-free culture. bFGF mRNA expression was determined by RT-PCR. Mitogenic activity of thrombin was determined by 3 H-thymidine uptake. Our results demonstrate that the peak of bFGF mRNA expression Occurred 24 h after thrombin stimulation. Experiments performed with cycloheximide, a translation inhibitor, revealed a translation peak later than 24 h after thrombin stimulation. Thrombin-induced mitogenic activity in SMCs was partially inhibited by the addition of anti-bFGF antibody (p