Plasma high density lipoproteins. Metabolism and relationship to atherogenesis.

Plasma HDL are small, dense, spherical lipid-protein com- plexes. They consist of -50% lipid and 50% protein. The major lipids are phospholipid (PL),2 cholesterol (C), choles- teryl esters (CE), and triglycerides (TG). The major proteins are apo A-I (Mr 28,000) and apo A-II (Mr 17,000). There are also a variety of minor but metabolically important apopro- teins in HDL called apo E and apo C (C-I, C-II, and C-Ill).