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Basics in Lipoprotein Metabolism

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Lipid Management

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Abstract

Lipids are a heterogeneous group of water insoluble molecules. The major body lipids are fatty acids, glycerolipids, phospholipids and cholesterol. Because of their hydrophobicity, lipids are distributed into membranes and stored in the form of droplets (triacylglycerol) in adipocytes, or transported in plasma by lipoproteins or albumin. In this chapter, we discuss the basics of lipoprotein metabolism including the packaging of lipids into lipoproteins in both the fasting state and following a meal. We then discuss key concepts in chylomicron, VLDL, LDL, HDL, phospholipid and triglyceride metabolism. The main mechanisms of how cells metabolize and excrete cholesterol are then discussed given its relevance to atherosclerosis. Throughout the chapter, we emphasize the critical steps in lipoprotein metabolism that have been targeted by therapies, and the key pathways whose aberrations predispose to increased cardiovascular disease risk.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar St, rm 210, 90033, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Hussein Yassine MD & Keenia Tappin BS

  2. Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA

    Keenia Tappin BS & Muhammad Jawad Sethi MD

Authors
  1. Hussein Yassine MD
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  2. Keenia Tappin BS
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  3. Muhammad Jawad Sethi MD
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Correspondence to Hussein Yassine MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern California Lipid Clinic, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Hussein Yassine

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Yassine, H., Tappin, K., Sethi, M. (2015). Basics in Lipoprotein Metabolism. In: Yassine, H. (eds) Lipid Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11161-2_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11161-2_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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