Abstract: Cardiovascular diseases are still the primary cause of death worldwide. The molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated, however the nuclear factor-kappa B seems to link with cardiovascular diseases. In recent years, the importance of NF-κ B in cardiovascular disease has received much attention. In this paper, the following contents were reviewed, which included the physiological characteristic of NF-κ B, the role of NF-κ B in hypoxia inflammation, the role of NF-κ B in endothelial cell apoptosis, the relationship between NF-κ B and some cardiovascular diseases pathology.

Key words: NF-κ B, hypoxia, endothelial cell, cardiovascular disease.