A large amount of triacylglycerol lipase activity was present in the circulating blood of normal mice, and this activity decreased with development of Sarcoma 180 inoculated intraperitoneally. Triacylglycerol lipase in plasma of both normal and tumor-bearing mice was retained on the heparin-Sepharose columns and over 90% of the activity was eluted with 0.75 M NaCl. This enzyme had similar properties to hepatic triacylglycerol lipase and hydrolyzed very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-triacylglycerol. Hepatic triacylglycerol lipase in plasma of normal mice hydrolyzed tricaprin and trilaurin most readily and better than 1-monoacylglycerols with the same acyl chain length. The hydrolyzing activities decreased with increase in the acyl chain length. The activity toward triolein was also higher than that toward 1-monoolein. 1-Monomyristin was hydrolyzed better than trimyristin. In contrast, hepatic triacylglycerol lipase in plasma of mice on day 4 after tumor inoculation hydrolyzed 1-monoacylglycerols better than triacylglycerols with the same acyl chain length. Hydrolysis of triolein by hepatic triacylglycerol lipase in plasma of both normal and tumor-bearing mice was reduced in the presence of 1-monoacylglycerols in the reaction mixture. The orders of their inhibitory effects coincided with the orders of the hydrolyzing activities toward 1-monoacylglycerols.