Summary of pleiotropic effects of HDL. In addition to their ability to reverse transport cholesterol from peripheral tissues back to the liver, HDLs display pleiotropic effects including antioxidant, antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, and antithrombotic properties that account for their protective action on endothelial cells. Vasodilatation via production of nitric oxide (NO) is also a hallmark of HDL action on those cells.
