Photoderivatives of riboflavin can modulate the proliferation and survival of cancer cells. In this work, we examined the influence of riboflavin and photoderivatives on osteoblast differentiation induced by ascorbic acid and β-glycerophosphate. These compounds decreased the osteoblast proliferation, increased the alkaline phosphatase activity, promoted a reduction in matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity and the decreased in the OPG/RANKL ratio. The effects of flavins on osteoblasts were unrelated to the antioxidant activity of these compounds. The biological activity of osteogenic medium containing riboflavin and its photoderivatives involved the activation of different signaling pathways (AKT, FAK, CaMKII), caspases-3, -8 and -9, and up-regulation of the expression and/or stabilization of osteoblastic transcription factors (Runx2 and β-catenin). These findings suggest a potential use of flavins as adjuvants to improve bone metabolism. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.