Macrophages play an important role in the development of inflammation, the core mechanism of atherosclerosis. In recent years, nanotechnology has provided a new perspective for the diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis with its unique characteristics of biological compatibility and precise targeting. In this paper, the pathological mechanism of atherosclerosis, the realization of atherosclerosis imaging by targeting macrophages with nanomaterials and the application of macrophage cell membrane biomimetic nanoparticles in anti-atherosclerosis were reviewed.