Experiments were performed to determine the role of renal nerves in mediating the renal excretory effects of volume expansion in the nonhuman primate. Male Macaca fascicularis monkeys underwent chronic bilateral renal denervation or sham surgery. After a 1- to 2-wk recovery period, each animal was anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium and volume expanded 20% of estimated blood volume. Two types of volume expansion were used, a hemodilutional expansion using 6% dextran in isotonic saline and an isohemic expansion using each monkey's own blood that had previously been withdrawn in exchange for dextran. Renal denervation did not attenuate the excretory responses to volume expansion in that similar increases in urine flow, sodium excretion, filtered load of sodium excreted, osmolar and free water clearances occurred in both the renal-denervated and sham-operated groups. The onset of the responses was not delayed by renal denervation. Furthermore, the results were the same with both volume expansions. These results suggest that, in the monkey, decreases in renal nerve activity that occur with volume expansion are not necessary for eliciting the excretory responses to this hypervolemic stimulus or that other factors compensate if the kidneys are chronically denervated. In addition, the failure of renal denervation to attenuate the excretory effects of a cell-free volume expansion is not related to any dilutional characteristics of the expansion.