Evidence is presented that hepatic triglyceride lipase (H-TGL) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL), purified from human postheparin plasma, can each hydrolyze both glyceryl trioleate and palmitoyl-CoA. The average ratio of glyceryl trioleate/palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase activities, obtained with enzyme preparations from 15 human postheparin plasma samples was 1.30 (1.18-1.52) for H-TGL and 8.75 (7.45-10.25) for LPL. Albumin was identified as the serum cofactor required for the hydrolysis of palmitoyl-CoA by H-TGL. It protected this enzyme from inactivation by this substrate. In contrast, palmitoyl-CoA activated and protected LPL from denaturation by dilution and incubation at 25 degrees C. The effects of other detergents were investigated on glyceryl trioleate hydrolase activities of both enzymes. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (0.4 mM) and Trisoleate (0.4 mM), which also effectively activated and protected LPL against inactivation, had only moderate protective effect on H-TGL. Sodium dodecyl sulfate at a higher concentration (1 mM) produced little or no inhibition of LPL, while completely inactivating H-TGL. Conversely, sodium taurodeoxycholate (0.4 mM) protected and activated H-TGL, but had only moderate protective effect on LPL. Triton X-100 (0.1-0.8 mM) and egg lysolecithin (0.05-2 mM) also protected H-TGL, but not LPL. The very dissimilar effects of detergents on preparations on H-TGL and LPL may form the basis for the direct assay of each enzyme in the presence of the other.