CETP and atherosclerosis: Finally, cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) was mostly studied in the context of cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis because of its ability to exchange cholesteryl esters (CEs) and triglycerides (TGs) between high density lipoproteins (HDLs), low density lipoproteins (LDLs), and very low density lipoproteins (VLDLs).