The induction of PPOs represents the more widespread plant response through the primary defense protein metabolism, caused by wounding, among crop species. However, the induction of PPOs by wounding was never researched in cowpea plant tissues. The aim of this work was to isolate and characterize PPOs induced by wounding in this important legume crop. Plants were grown in greenhouse conditions and 5 day-old plants were submitted to a wounding treatment with a hemostat on a single unifoliate. Plants were kept under constant light (100 mM photons/cm²/s) and the unifoliates were collected in times of 24, 48, and 72 hours after wounding. Unifoliates were ground in phosphate buffer pH 7.0 (1:2 w/v) and submitted to centrifugation (15.000 x g, 20 minutes, 4º C). Extracts of soluble proteins obtained were submitted to ammonium sulfate precipitation and the 30 – 80 % saturated fraction was exhaustively dialyzed against distilled water, lyophilized and submitted to an ion exchange chromatography (DEAE-cellulose). PPO activity assay was performed using cathecol as substrate, either in solution or in gel (SDS-PAGE-catechol). Protein dosage and visualization were made by Bradford and SDS-PAGE, respectively. Enzymatic assays revealed a sudden increase of PPO activity 24 hours after wounding in both wounded and neighbor-to-wounded cowpea unifoliates. Maximum levels were reached 48 h after treatment and at 72 h only wounded unifoliates kept high PPO levels; in neighbor-to-wounded unifoliates levels were restored to basal levels at this time. By DEAE-cellulose chromatography, major PPO specific activity was seen to be an acidic protein, being retained to the matrix and eluted by a 0.25 M NaCl concentration. Activity gels on SDS-PAGE-catechol show PPO bands with molecular masses of 87.0, 95.0 and 205.0 kDa, all present in the above pinpointed chromatographic fraction. The results altogether reveal PPO induction by wounding in cowpea unifoliates, both as a local as well as a systemic strategy, which last some days after wounding stimulus. Different isoforms of the enzyme seem to be involved.