Molecular composition of HDL.

The table shows the number of molecules (N) used in the simulations, together with the experimentally measured molar percentages in human plasma HDL [19]. While this choice reflects the relative amounts observed for the different molecular components in HDL, there is reason to stress that HDL composition is very heterogeneous and depends on, e.g., HDL size and diet [66], [67]. The present study essentially represents the largest HDLs, that is ; the effect of changes in lipid and protein concentrations are discussed below in this article. The abbreviations: POPC (palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine), PPC (palmitoyl-PC), CE (cholesteryl ester, here cholesteryl oleate), CHOL (free cholesterol), TG (triglyceride, here trioleate).