Aim of the study is to identify patterns of variations of the fluorescence intensity of NADH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and FAD (oxidized flavin adenine dinucleotide) in the skeletal muscle depending on the time since death. For the evaluation of fluorescence intensity of the studied coenzymes, laser-induced spectroscopy in situ was used. We revealed the dynamic of the fluorescence intensity of NADH and FAD in the skeletal muscle of a rat at different times during the post-mortem period, and theoretically justified the observed phenomena. The results obtained allow us to consider the studied indicators as a potential criterion for determining the post-mortem interval. © 2020, Media Sphera Publishing Group. All rights reserved.