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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Nov 14.
Published in final edited form as: Circulation. 2013 Jul 2;128(1):72–78. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.000443

Figure 2.

Figure 2

HDL-cholesterol: levels vs function? HDL, like other lipoproteins, includes a range of complex macromolecules with diverse functional effects and distinct characteristics. HDL, in part, through its major apolipoprotein, apolipoprotein A-I, promotes cholesterol efflux and may also decrease vascular inflammation, increase nitric oxide levels (NO), and decrease thrombosis. These and other pleiotropic effects may relate to variable HDL characteristics involving particles (number, size, subtypes), the proteins present, relative apolipoprotein levels, and the specific lipid content. How these properties relate to total HDL-C levels, or respond to different HDL-raising therapies, remains unknown but offers other ways to consider HDL. Apo indicates apolipoprotein; CHO, cholesterol; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; and HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.