FLT1 and atherosclerosis: Numerous studies [3–7] have demonstrated that the pathophysiological process for the development of atherosclerosis are closely associated with the mutation and abnormal expression of genes, which include fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (Flt-1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiogenin.