Curcumin (Cc), one of the main ingredients in curry powder, inhibits the cyclooxygenase 2 pathway (1), restores mitochondrial functions and decreases lipid peroxidation (2). Recent studies (3-5) indicate that chronic Cc administration has analgesic and antinociceptive effects, but less is known about acute Cc administration. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of single-dose Cc on nociception and allodynia. Male BALB/c mice (n=32) were divided in groups of eight: groups C1 and C2 received single-dose 120 mg/kg b.w. Cc dissolved in olive oil and groups O1 and O2 – equivalent volume of olive oil. All substances were administered via gavage. Groups C1 and O1 were assessed for nociception by means of Tail Flick (TF) and Hot Plate (HP); groups C2 and O2 were assessed for mechanical and thermal allodynia by means of von Frey (vF) and dynamic plantar (Hg) tests. Baseline values were recorded for each test. After gavage, HP and TF were performed at 30, 60, 120, 180 and 240 minutes and vF and Hg at 2 and 4 hours. Paired and unpaired Student t tests were performed with the aid of SPSSv20 software in order to assess the results. Cut-off was set at 15s for HP, 12s for TF, and 20s for Hg and vF. Values are expressed as maximum possible effect [MPE(%) = (treated -baseline)×100/(cut-off – baseline)]. Single-dose Cc administration induced a long-lasting antinociceptive effect, with increased response latencies that started after 30 minutes in the TF test and after 3 hours in the HP test and lasted until the end of the experiment (p<0.05 in both paired and unpaired t test). MPEs for TF were 21.4% at 30 minutes, 34.1% at 60 minutes, 18.8% at 120 minutes, 23.6% at 180 minutes and 14.3% at 240 minutes. MPEs for HP were 8.5% at 30 minutes, 18.1% at 60 minutes, 24.6% at 120 minutes, 50.9% at 180 minutes and 54.7% at 240 minutes. Cc also induced a persistent increase in Hg and vF test latencies, with MPEs of 18.1% for vF and 20.4% for Hg at two hours and 11.9% and 38.0% at 4 hours (p<0.05 in both paired and unpaired t test at 2 and 4 hours after administration). The results indicate that even a single curucumine dose has antinociceptive effects. Taking into account Cc pharmaco-kinetics, our results indicate that Cc exerts its analgesic effect through both peripheral and central mechanisms. Thus, the increase in thermal latencies in TF is probably due mainly to peripheral changes, while thermal and mechanical latencies from HP, Hg and vF test are consequence of both peripheral and central effects. Further studies are required for understanding Cc’s analgesic effects and for translating the results in clinical practice.