Aim To observe the effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist exenatide on the expression of NADPH oxidase subunits and oxidative stress damage in the aorta of type 1 diabetic rats. Methods Thirty male Sprague-Dawley（SD） rats were randomly divided into normal control group（n7） and model group（n23）. Type 1 diabetic model was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Nineteen diabetic rats induced successfully were randomly divided into diabetic group （n10）, and diabetic group treated with exenatide （n9）. Rats in diabetic group treated with exenatide were injected subcutaneously with exenatide in dose of 5 μg/kg twice daily. Rats in normal control group and diabetic group were given equivalent volume of normal saline by subcutaneous injection. All rats were sacrificed after exenatide treatment for eight weeks. The mRNA expression of aortal p22phox and NOX4 were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The protein expression of aortal transforming growth factor-beta （TGF-β1） was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Specimen sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histological examination. Results The mRNA expression of aortal p22phox and NOX4 and the protein expression of aortal TGF-β1 were significantly increased in diabetic group than those in normal control group（P<0.05）. The mRNA expression of aortal p22phox and NOX4 and the protein expression of aortal TGF-β1 were decreased in diabetic group treated with exenatide than those in diabetic group（P<0.05）. Compared with rats in normal control group, rats in diabetic group had the obviously thickened intima and tunica elastica, unsmooth intima, endothelial cell protrusion, the irregular shape of endothelial cells, and the smooth muscle cells arranged in disorder in the aorta. The intima was locally thickened and unsmooth, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells were arranged in order, and the unica elastica was lightly thickened in the aorta in diabetic group treated with exenatide compared with diabetic group. Conclusions Exenatide can down-regulate the mRNA expression of p22phox and NOX4 and the protein expression of TGF-β1 in the aorta of type1 diabetic rats, which can relieve the aortal damage by oxidative stress, thus play a protective role on the blood vessel of diabetic rats.