Development of medical science toward understanding of the processes taking places in cases of degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system is impossible without modeling of pathological conditions in laboratory animals. Objective: To investigate the changes in biochemical parameters of metabolism in tissues of intervertebral discs and serum in rabbits with modeled degenerative and destructive process in lumbar intervertebral discs. Methods: The model included mechanical denucleation of one nucleus pulposus of intervertebral disc and damage to the cranial apophysis of the vertebral body with the growth zone in the lumbar spine of 3-month-old rabbits (weight of 1 300–1 500 g). 60 days after the operation we determined the content of total hydroxyproline, hexosamine, total glycosaminoglycans (GAG), sialic acid and tyrosine in tissues of intervertebral discs. Before and 60 days after modeling we evaluated the content of glycoproteins, total protein, fractional composition of glycosaminoglycans sulfates (GAGs) and hydroxyproline in blood serum. Results: There was reliable activation of cartilage collagen metabolism of intervertebral discs with the increase of hydroxyproline content and inhibition of proteoglycan metabolism with a decrease of GAG content and hexosamine concentration of sialic acids and non-collagenous proteins in intervertebral discs of experimental animals compared to control group. Degenerative processes in experimental rabbits prevailed over reparative ones. In blood serum of experimental animals there was revealed reliable increase in the total content of GAGs to 25.76 % and hydroxyproline to 16.87 %, as well as decrease to 42.61 % of activity of alkaline phosphatase and increase of 282.95 % of activity of acid phosphatase. Conclusion: The model created leads to the development of degenerative-dystrophic process on the 60th day after the operation.