High-density lipoproteins and endothelial function.

Elevated plasma levels of HDL cholesterol or apolipoprotein A-I, the major protein moiety of HDL particles, are protective against coronary artery disease. HDL particles remove cholesterol from peripheral cells and transfer it to the liver for bile acid synthesis. The interaction between lipoproteins is not mediated through simple contact between 2 phospholipid membranes but involves specific protein-receptor interactions, charged phospholipid-phospholipid contact, and activation of cellular signaling pathways. These lead to regulation of genes or the modification of proteins involved in vasomotor function, platelet activation, thrombosis and thrombolysis, cell adhesion, apoptosis and cell proliferation, and cellular cholesterol homeostasis.