In human osteosarcoma MG63 cells, the effect of the neuroprotective drug riluzole on the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was measured using fura-2. Riluzole (50–500 µmol/l) caused a rapid and sustained plateau increase in [Ca2+]i in a concentration-dependent manner (EC50 = 150 µmol/l). The riluzole-induced rise in [Ca2+]i was prevented by 58 and 20% by extracellular Ca2+ removal and nifedipine, respectively, but was not changed by La3+ and verapamil. In Ca2+-free medium, thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+-ATPase, caused a monophasic increase in [Ca2+]i, after which the increasing effect of riluzole on [Ca2+]i was attenuated by 84%; also, pretreatment with riluzole abolished the thapsigargin-induced [Ca2+]i increase. U73122, an inhibitor of phospholipase C, abrogated the ATP (but not riluzole)-induced rise in [Ca2+]i. A low concentration (6 µmol/l) of riluzole selectively potentiated the bradykinin (but not ATP and histamine)-induced increase in [Ca2+]i. These results suggest that riluzole rapidly increases [Ca2+]i by stimulating both the extracellular Ca2+ influx via a nifedipine-sensitive pathway and intracellular Ca2+ release from the ER via an as yet unidentified mechanism(s).