Role of low-density and high-density lipoproteins in atherogenesis.

Among the cholesterol-carrying lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) have been associated with coronary heart disease as a risk factor while high-density lipoproteins (HDL) appear to protect against coronary heart disease. According to studies with cells in tissue culture, control mechanisms of receptor-mediated LDL uptake are important in maintaining the cholesterol balance within the arterial cells. HDL may be a vehicle for transporting cholesterol from peripheral cells to the liver. Recent results, derived from studies of patients affected with Tangier disease (absence of HDL in plasma), favor the hypothesis that HDL precursors (e.g. surface remnants of chylomicrons) may be more potent in cholesterol uptake than mature HDL.