ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of total body irradiation with different doses of 60Coγ on wound breaking strength during wound healing in rats. MethodsRats were exposed to 60Coγ radiation at dosages of 4,6,and 8 Gy. Within 30 min after irradiation, full thickness skin wounds were made on the shaved back of rats to establish animal models of irradiatedtrauma injury plus skin wounds (n=20), and nonirradiated rats with pure incision injury were used as controls (n=10). The rats were sacrificed at day 10 after treatment, and the full thickness skin wounds were harvested. Biomechanics method and histopathology examination were used to evaluate the wound breaking strength and histological features after healing. ResultsThe wound breaking strength of model groups were greatly retarded with the increase of irradiation doses. Statistical results showed that on day 10 the wound breaking strength values were significantly different between 4 Gy group ([114.26±0.29] g) and control group ([117.12±1.86] g, P>0.05), and the wound breaking strength values of 6 Gy group ([91.87±1.96] g) and 8 Gy group ([55.26±2.64] g) were significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). HE staining showed that the wounds in the irradiation trauma groups had looser and disorder collagenous fiber and less fibroblast proliferation than control group. ConclusionRadiation injury may result in delayed wound healing, and the wound breaking strength decreases with the increase of irradiation dose in model of irradiation injury plus full thickness skin wounds.