Lipoprotein Metabolism

Lipids are a heterogeneous group of substances with a myriad of structural and regulatory functions. The realization that changes in plasma lipids, particularly elevated cholesterol in apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins, are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease has given great impetus to the study of factors regulating plasma lipid metabolism. With the use of increasingly refined methodology, understanding of normal plasma lipoprotein metabolism and its derangements in the face of genetic and/or environmental factors is continuously expanding. This chapter summarizes current concepts regarding normal plasma lipoprotein synthesis, transport, and interconversion in humans, forming a basis for subsequent discussions of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of dyslipidaemia.