Mechanism for ApoE/HDL Generation and Cholesterol Homeostasis in the Brain

Abstract

Neural cells such as neurons and glias in the central nervous system (CNS) appear in a multi-process with a large cell surface. Accordingly the CNS is a cholesterol-rich organ that accounts for approximately 25% of total body cholesterol in humans. As circulating plasma lipoproteins is segregated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) from the CNS of vertebrates, a unique system for intercellular cholesterol transport functions in the brain. This review article describes the contribution of apoE/HDL generation by astrocytes to cholesterol homeostasis in the brain.