High-Density Lipoprotein-Specific Phospholipid Efflux (HDL-SPE) Assay in Mice

The recent study by Martínez-Beamonte et al. provides new insights into how extra virgin olive oil enriched in bioactive compounds may exert anti-atherogenic effects, by improving high-density lipoprotein (HDL) function, as determined by the high-density lipoprotein-specific phospholipid efflux (HDL-SPE) assay in Apoe-deficient mice. We would like to highlight two points. First, the HDL-SPE assay was validated in human samples, but there is only limited data on how it performs in mice. Second, the role of ApoE in ApoA-I-containing HDL may differ substantially between mice and humans. The finding by Martínez-Beamonte et al. is quite intriguing, but it will be important to extend their findings in mice to human subjects.