Both inflammatory response and oxidative stress are regarded as two critical contributors to atherosclerosis33, and macrophages play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis by mediating oxidative stress, inflammation and lipid metabolism, which can lead to the formation of vascular plaque34, ox-LDL-induced oxidative stress via changing the levels of MDA, ROS and SOD. Here, SOD1 is linked to atherosclerosis.