APLNR and atherosclerosis: Abnormal proliferation and anti-apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells (VECs) is a key event in cardiovascular disease occurrence and development, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and restenosis etc. Apelin is a bioactive peptide that regulates blood pressure, enhances myocardial contraction, and promotes neovascularization by binding to its specific receptor APJ (apelin receptor, aplnr) [1–3].