Novel analogues of cADPR with adenine as base and ether (10a) or different alkane chain (10b-d) substitutions of the northern ribose were synthesized from protected imidazole nucleoside 1 in good yields. The pharmacological activities of cyclic inosine diphosphoribose ether (cIDPRE) and the compounds (10a-d) were analyzed in intact human Jurkat T-lymphocytes. The results indicate that the analogues 10a-d permeate the plasma membrane and are weak agonists of the cADPR/ryanodine receptor signaling system in intact human Jurkat T cells. They are the first membrane-permeant and biologically active cADPR analogues that contain ether or alkane bridges instead of the northern ribose and retain adenine as its base.