Exercise, alone or combined with changes in lifestyle, can prevent or reduce the need for pharmacotherapy in patients with compromised endothelium-dependent function. The aim of this study was to examine the protective effect of aerobic exercise against (L-NAME)-kidney damage in male rats induced by Nω-nitro- L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). L-NAME was administered to rats intraperitoneally in doses of 10 mg kg six days a week over eight weeks. Rats exercised by running on a treadmill at the speed of (15 to 22) m min , 25 min to 64 min per day, five days a week over eight weeks. The rats were killed 48 h after the last dose, and their kidneys removed and homogenised to measure the levels of heat shock protein70 (HSP70), superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). We also measured serum nitrite/nitrate. Chronic administration of L-NAME significantly increased renal HSP70 and TBARS levels and decreased renal SOD activity and serum nitrites/nitrates. Training modified abnormal renal HSP70, lowered TBARS, and increased SOD and serum nitrite/nitrate. Our results have confirmed that regular aerobic exercise protects against nitric oxide deficiency-induced kidney damage by modifying HSP70, up-regulating SOD activity, and depleting TBARS. Sažetak Tjelovježba kao takva ili u kombinaciji s promjenama u životnim navikama može smanjiti potrebu za uzimanjem lijekova u bolesnika s kompromitiranom endotelnom funkcijom. Cilj je ovog istraživanja bio utvrditi zaštitno djelovanje aerobnog vježbanja od oštećenja bubrega koje uzrokuje metil (2S)-2-amino- 5-{amino(nitramido)metilidenamino}pentanoat (L-NAME) u Wistar štakora. L-NAME se davao štakorima osam tjedana intraperitonealno u dozi od 10 mg kg na dan, šest dana u tjednu. U tih osam tjedana, štakori su trčali na traci brzinom od 15 m min do 22 m min , 25 min do 64 min na dan, pet dana u tjednu. Četrdeset osam sati po primitku posljednje doze L-NAME-a štakori su žrtvovani, a njihovi bubrezi uklonjeni i homogenizirani radi mjerenja razina HSP70, SOD-a i TBARS-a. Također smo mjerili koncentraciju nitrita/nitrata u serumu. Dugotrajna primjena L-NAME značajno je povećala razine HSP70 i TBARS-a te smanjila aktivnost SOD-a u bubrezima odnosno razine nitrita/nitrata u serumu. Vježbanje je smanjilo povišene razine HSP70 i TBARS-a, a povećalo aktivnost SOD-a i razinu nitrita/nitrata u serumu. Naši rezultati potvrđuju da redovito vježbanje štiti od oštećenja bubrega uzrokovanog nedostatkom dušikova oksida, tako što mijenja razine HSP70, potiče aktivnost SOD-a, te smanjuje razine TBARS-a.