Objective To investigate the time-dependent expression of metallothionein （MT） 1A mRNA and MT2A mRNA in contused skeletal muscle of rats. Methods A total of 54 Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. The rats were divided into two parts: control group （n=6） and contusion groups （0.5, 1, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 h after contusion, n=6）. Total RNA was extracted from skeletal muscle. The expression levels of MT1A mRNA and MT2A mRNA were detected by SYBR Green I real-time PCR. Results The expression trends of the two potential marker genes were related to wound age. In addition to 0.5 h, there were significant contrasts between the control group and contused group （P