The effects of lipoprotein lipase, phospholipase A2 and phospholipase C on chylomicron phosphatidylcholine and triacylglycerol were studied with rat lymph chylomicrons containing phosphatidylcholine labeled with [14C]oleic acid. Lipoprotein lipase purified from bovine milk readily hydrolyzed chylomicron phosphatidylcholine to lysophosphatidylcholine and fatty acid, and triacylglycerol to monoacylglycerol, fatty acid and glycerol. The rates of hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine and triacylglycerol increased with enzyme concentration, and both decreased when fatty-acid binding sites on albumin in the incubation medium were limited. The proportion and amount of phosphatidylcholine hydrolyzed was always less than that of triacylglycerol. Analyses of hydrolytic products showed that lipoprotein lipase cleaved the 1-acyl ester bond of phosphatidylcholine. The findings indicate that lipoprotein lipase can account for some of the phospholipase A1 activity found in postheparin plasma. Phospholipase A2 and phospholipase C hydrolyzed chylomicron phosphatidylcholine, greater than 92% in 10 min, but not triacylglycerol. The resultant phosphatidylcholine-deficient chylomicrons, which could be concentrated by ultra-centrifugation and resuspended in incubation medium, were readily depleted of triacylglycerol when incubated with lipoprotein lipase. The findings indicate that phosphatidylcholine can be removed from the surface film of chylomicrons without disrupting the particles or blocking the action of lipoprotein lipase on the core triacylglycerol.