The developmental pattern of pulmonary lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity was measured in growing male and female rats from the neonatal period to the adult age. The pulmonary phospholipid content showed a sharp increase at term from premature low level. At the same time the LPL activity increased markedly showing thereafter a decrease at 1 week of age and increasing thereafter to the adult age. Also the phospholipid content was low at 1 week of age. Thus the pulmonary phospholipid content and LPL activity change in the same way during the development indicating possibly that the LPL by supplying free fatty acids for the phospholipid biosynthesis may be one of the rate-limiting enzymes in the pulmonary surfactant synthesis.