HDLs are lipoprotein complexes often referred to as the "good cholesterol" because they function to take cholesterol from peripheral tissues back to the liver and help lower total serum cholesterol (Figure 18.7). At the liver, HDLs are not taken up by endocytosis. Rather, HDLs appear to "dock" at a cell surface receptor, deposit cholesterol, and then depart as remnants without being incorporated to the cell's interior.

HDLs contain the apoproteins listed below:

Apo A-I, Apo A-II, Apo C-I, Apo C-II, Apo C-III, Apo D, Apo E