Oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, and it is also an important biomarker for the diagnosis of lipid metabolism disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. The study confirms that ox-LDL is widely existed in the serum of the patients with the diseases mentioned above, and actively participates in the occurrence and development of the diseases. Combined with the ox-LDL research status of current domestic and foreign scholars, this article will make a summary of the ox-LDL oxidation derivatives, pathogenicity and detecting methods.