Objective To observe the effects of vacuum-assisted closure ( VAC) on the healing of the radioactive ulcer in rabbits.Methods The rabbit radioactive ulcer model was established , and the animals were divided into 2 groups:the control group treated with conventional wound dressing and the experimental group treated with VAC .Observations were made on various indicators at 5 different time points:i.e.before surgery, 3, 7 and 14 days after surgery, and after wound healing.Results Wound swelling and se-cretions for the animals of the experimental group were significantly improved , when they were compared with those of the control group . Removal of necrotic tissue and growth of granulation tissue were significantly accelerated .Average healing time was significantly short-ened [(16.3 ±2.6)d比(20.4 ±3.7)d)] (P<0.05).The expression levels of MMP-1 and MMP-2 mRNA in the wound tissue were significantly decreased, 3, 7 and 14 days after surgery (P<0.05), while the expression levels of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNA were sig-nificantly increased (P <0.05).The expressions of bFGF and VEGF in the serum were increased considerably (P <0.05). Conclusion Vacuum-assisted closure displayed a positive effect on the healing of radioactive ulcer of rabbits .