CCL2 and atherosclerosis: NF-κB can directly regulate a variety of genes overexpression, participating in the initiation and progression of atherosclerotic lesions, such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), which result in the adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells and proliferation and migration of VSMCs, and thus promote the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis [6,7].