In order to assess the role of dietary sodium with or without chloride on the development of 2 kidney, 1 clip renovascular hypertension, 49 male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed 3 different diets for 4 weeks after clipping: ad libitum sodium chloride, sodium citrate or sodium-free diet. Sham operated rats were used as control. The final conscious systolic arterial pressure was similar in all hypertensive groups regardless of diet. No change in cardiac index occurred in clipped animals whereas total peripheral resistance raised to a similar extent. In conclusion, sodium restriction did not prevent hypertension. In addition, the anion linked to sodium had no influence on the level of arterial pressure.