Inosine, an endogenous purine, is the first metabolite of adenosine in a reaction catalyzed by adenosine deaminase. This study aimed to investigate the antinociceptive effects of inosine against several models of pain in mice and rats. In mice, inosine given by systemic or central routes inhibited acetic acid-induced nociception. Furthermore, inosine also decreased the late phase of formalin-induced licking and the nociception induced by glutamate. Inosine produced inhibition (for up to 4 h) of mechanical allodynia induced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) injected into the mouse's paw. Given chronically for 21 days, inosine reversed the mechanical allodynia caused by CFA. Moreover, inosine also reduced the thermal (cold stimuli) and mechanical allodynia caused by partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL) for 4 h; when inosine was chronically administered, it decreased the mechanical allodynia induced by PSNL for 22 days. Antinociception caused by inosine in the acetic acid test was attenuated by treatment of mice with 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX; a selective adenosine A₁ receptor antagonist), 8-phenyltheophylline (8-PT; a nonselective adenosine A₁ receptor antagonist), and 4-{2- [7-amino-2-(2-furyl)[1,2,4]triazolo-[2,3-a][1,3,5]triazin-5-yl- amino]ethyl}phenol (ZM241385; a selective adenosine A_2A receptor antagonist). In rats, inosine inhibited the mechanical and heat hyperalgesia induced by bradykinin and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, without affecting similar responses caused by prostaglandin E₂ or forskolin. These results indicate that inosine induces antinociceptive, antiallodynic, and antihyperalgesic effects in rodents. The precise mechanisms through which inosine produces antinociception are currently under investigation, but involvement of adenosine A₁ and A_2A receptors and blockade of the protein kinase C pathway seem to largely account for inosine's antinociceptive effect.