The possible role of endogenous sodium pump inhibitors was studied in salt-sensitive rats of Dahl strain which were influenced by high salt intake either in youth (from prepuberty) or only in adulthood. The aim of our study was to search for the relations between the age-dependent blood pressure response to high salt intake and the changes in volume or distribution of body fluids, red cell ion transport or Na+,K+-ATPase activity in various tissues of salt-sensitive (S/JR) and salt-resistant (R/JR) rats. Salt hypertension was especially pronounced in those S/JR rats which were maintained on a high-salt diet from prepuberty. This was accompanied by the moderate expansion of body fluids in young but not in adult hypertensive animals. Na+,K+-ATPase activity was suppressed in both kidney and heart of young S/JR rats with salt hypertension while this was not true in adult hypertensive animals. On the other hand, no inhibition of sodium pump was observed in brain microsomes and erythrocytes of severely hypertensive young S/JR rats. Moreover, no increased levels of endogenous sodium pump inhibitors were detected in plasma of salt hypertensive S/JR rats. Thus our study indicated the age-dependent suppression of sodium pump activity in some tissues of salt hypertensive Dahl rats but we failed to confirm increased levels of circulating sodium pump inhibitors in young salt hypertensive rats.