VCAM1 and familial hypercholesterolemia: Under certain circumstances, such as hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis, modified LDL impairs the function of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)/nitric oxide (NO) system and then upregulates the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in endothelial cell (ECs), leading to the recruitment of monocytes into the subendothelial space of the vessel wall [3,4].