Objective To review research advances in atherosclerosis of removal mechanisms of apoptotic cells.Method The literatures about the removal mechanisms of the apoptotic cells were reviewed．Results The removal factors of apoptotic cells， such as transglutaminase 2， milk fat globule-EGF-factor 8， complement system，c-Mer proto-oncogene tyrosine protein kinase，and Fas，might cause the lipid core of the atherosclerotic plaque if one of them was defective phagocytic clearance．Conclusion How to remove the surplus of the phagocytosis and study the common pathways of the downstream signal of its receptor were the future direction of development．