Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPreC) is a strategy to protect a target organ against ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) by inducing short-term ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in a remote organ. We investigated if a remote ischemic stimulus in the hind limb can protect the kidney against IRI, and whether this protection is adenosine dependent. Anesthetized rats underwent either no RIPreC, unilateral (one limb) or bilateral RIPreC (both limbs). The preconditioning stimulus was continuous (12'/12' I/R), or fractionated (3 times 4'/4' I/R). After the last reperfusion period, we induced 25' ischemia in the right kidney and nephrectomised the left kidney. After 48h of reperfusion, RIPreC ameliorated renal function (plasma creatinine and urea, Ccr and FENa) and reduced renal damage (histology) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) transcription (p<0.05 or p<0.01 for all parameters, depending on the RIPreC protocol). Bilateral RIPreC appeared to be more effective than unilateral RIPreC. Administration of the adenosine receptor antagonist 8-SPT did not abolish the beneficial effects of either continuous or fractionated RIPreC on renal function. In conclusion, we found that RIPreC using the hind limb as remote organ can reduce renal IRI, making this a promising, safe, cheap and non-invasive method to prevent renal damage in e.g. transplantation and aortic surgery. Both fractionated and continuous RIPreC appeared to reduce renal damage via an adenosine-independent mechanism. Preliminary results indicate that opiates, noradrenaline, and/or cannabinoids may play a role in this RIPreC model.