Hyperinsulinemia, a major feature of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, is believed to be highly associated with the occurrence of atherosclerosis and vascular restenosis [1][2][3]. In humans with insulin resistance, the frequency of restenosis after coronary angioplasty is significantly higher than those with normal insulinemia [4]. Animals with hyperinsulinemia show increased neointima formation caused by vascular injury via potentiating smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation [5][6][7]. The application of insulin sensitizers, such as synthetic thiazolidinediones (STD), significantly reduces carotid artery intima/ media thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes [8][9][10] and in animals with induced carotid injury [11][12][13][14]. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Recurrent stenosis after angioplasty is the result of increased smooth muscle cell proliferation in the media layer and migration to the intima in the wall of the vasculature. It is well established that vascular inflammation in response to angioplasty-induced injury is the initiator of increased neointima formation. Several experimental and clinical observations indicate that up regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines in activated SMCs contributes to angioplasty-induced restenosis through promoting vascular smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation, a manifestation of an inflammatory wound healing process occurring in injured vessels [15][16][17]. Of the many cytokines involved in injury-induced inflammation, IL-6 is the major pro-inflammatory cytokine that contributes to vascular injuryinduced neointima thickening [18]. IL-6 is expressed and synthesized by a variety of cell types implicated in intimal hyperplasia. These include endothelial cells, macrophages, and smooth muscle cells. IL-6 induces a motogenic effect on vascular smooth muscle cells [19,20]. A significant correlation between the changes of IL-6 concentrations in the coronary circulation after PTCA and the degree of restenosis has been observed [21]. Monitoring variations in IL-6 has been proposed as an inflammatory marker to detect the early stage of cardiovascular diseases in order to develop a beneficial strategy to prevent the progression of the diseases. It was also reported that IL-6 induced the expression of acute phase proteins and several other cytokines and growth factors [22], suggesting that IL-6 may serve as a major initiator to trigger inflammation cascade responses that later lead to restenosis. One of the signal transduction pathways that mediates IL-6-mediated cellular responses is gp130/JAK/ STAT cascade [19]. The formation of IL-6 and the IL-6 receptor complex promotes the recruitment of gp130, followed by activation of Janus kinase (JAK). Activation of JAKs leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of gp130 and recruitment of STAT 3 . STAT 3 in turn becomes phosphorylated and dimerized, and translocate into the nucleus, where it binds to the target genes and regulates gene transcription and protein expression [19], leading t...