Review Volume 14, Issue 3 pp 1549—1561

Figure 1. Chylomicrons (CHY) undergo the action of the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) enzyme, which hydrolyzes triglycerides (TG) and phospholipids (PL) present in these lipoproteins, making them available to peripheral tissues. This process reduces the size of the CHY, forming remnant CHY, which are quickly taken up by the B/E receptors and proteins related to the hepatic LDL receptor (LRP). The liver, in turn, synthesizes very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) by conjugating TG (triglycerides), PL (phospholipids), and CHO (cholesterol) to apolipoprotein (apo) B100. Analogously to CHY, VLDL undergo LPL action in the circulation, originating intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL) and, ultimately, low-density lipoproteins (LDL). In human blood, LDL is the main carriers of cholesterol to peripheral tissues.