▶ DHEA ester-enriched HDL induce arterial vasorelaxation via SR-B1-facilitated pathway. ▶ SR-B1 contributes to the uptake of HDL-associated DHEA fatty acyl esters by HUVEC. ▶ Cultured human endothelial cells hydrolyze HDL-associated DHEA fatty acyl esters. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) fatty acyl esters once incorporated in high density lipoprotein (HDL) induce a stronger vasodilatory response in rat mesenteric arteries ex vivo compared to native HDL. We studied the role of HDL receptor, scavenger receptor class B, type 1 (SR-B1), as well as estrogen and androgen receptors in the vasodilatory response of HDL-associated DHEA fatty acyl esters. Using cultured human vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC), we investigated the possible internalization and cellular response of HDL-associated DHEA esters. We prepared DHEA ester-enriched HDL by incubating human plasma in the presence of DHEA. After isolation and purification, HDL was added in cumulative doses to arterial rings precontracted with noradrenaline. Inhibition of the function of SR-B1 almost completely abolished maximal vasorelaxation by DHEA-enriched HDL while estrogen or androgen receptor blockage had no significant effect. When HUVECs were incubated in the presence of 3HDHEA ester-enriched HDL, the amount of intracellular 3H-radioactivity increased steadily during 24 h. Blocking of SR-B1 reduced this uptake by a mean of 30%. The proportion of unesterified 3HDHEA, as analyzed by thin-layer chromatography, increased intracellularly and in the cell culture media after several hours of incubation of the cells in the presence of 3HDHEA ester-enriched HDL. This indicated slow hydrolysis of DHEA fatty acyl esters and subsequent excretion of unesterified DHEA by the cells. In conclusion, DHEA-enriched HDL induced vasorelaxation via the SR-B1-facilitated pathway. However, this vasodilation is not likely to be attributed to rapid hydrolysis of HDL-associated DHEA esters by the vascular endothelium.