The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fasting on in vivo plasma levels of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a physiologically important lysophospholipid mediator. We assayed to measure activities of an LPA-producing enzyme (lysophospholipase D) and LPA-degrading enzyme activities (lysophspholipase A, lipid phosphate phosphatase) in rat plasma or blood, by measuring choline, fatty acid and inorganic phosphate, respectively. Both LPA and its precursor lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) were quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Fasting of rats for 24 h decreased plasma concentrations of oleoyl-, linoleoyl-, arachidonoyl- and docosahexaenoyl-LPAs, but not palmitoyl- and stearoyl-LPAs, possibly due to decreased levels of corresponding LPCs in the plasma and elevated lipid phosphate phosphatase activity for LPAs in the blood. Our results indicate that the in vivo circulating levels of LPAs in rats are affected by fasting.