class of lipoproteins responsible for transport of cholesterol to extrahepatic tissues; they are formed in the circulation when very-low-density lipoproteins are degraded first to intermediate-density lipoproteins and then to LDL by the gain and loss of specific apolipoproteins and the loss of most of their triglycerides; LDL are taken up and catabolized by both the liver and extrahepatic tissues by specific receptor-mediated endocytosis.
