Pentosan polysulphate (PPS; SP 54; Hemoclar), a highly sulphated semi-synthetic polysaccharide of MW 4.7 kD, was tested in vitro as an inhibitor of rabbit aortic smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and its effects were compared with those of dextran sulphate, laminarin sulphate and heparin fractions. When added to the cell cultures simultaneously with foetal calf serum, all sulphated polysaccharides inhibited cell growth. PPS was five fold more active than heparin and its low molecular weight fractions. A high molecular weight fraction of PPS was the most active inhibitor (IC50: 2.7 micrograms/ml vs 45 micrograms/ml for PPS, and 241 micrograms/ml for heparin). When PPS and heparin were pre-incubated with the cells for three days, then removed before foetal calf serum was added to stimulate growth, their inhibitory effects were comparable with those seen when the compounds were present throughout the growth phase, suggesting that they exert their effect by binding to the cell surface, and not by interacting with the growth factors in serum.