Background Vascular calcification decreases vessel elasticity,augments plaque brittleness,leads to increased plaque rupture during angioplasty procedures,and is associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction and death.Accumulating evidence now points vascular calcification toward a tightly regulated process,with competition between factors promoting calcification and inhibitors of mineralization,but the precise molecular and cellular mechanisms facilitating ectopic mineral deposition are unclear.The mechanisms of VSMCs differentiation into osteoblast-like cells are not completely understood,the purpose of this study was designed to reveal the effect of PERK pathway in transformation of smooth muscle cells to osteoblastic cells induced by high glucose.