Macrophages are closely related to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, and the macrophages which are distributed in the atherosclerotic plaque can be subdivided into different subsets of M1 macrophages and M2 macrophages and so on. The different subtypes perform different function and the different subpopulations may influence the disease process in different way, so to treat atherosclerosis by the drug to control differentiation of macrophages subsets might be a new therapeutic target.