Abstract: Cardiovascular disease is one of the major threats to human. Air pollution, which, as it become a problem too serious to be ignored in China, is known to be an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Among all pollutants, ultrafine particles (UFPs), defined as particles with their diameter less than 0.1 μm, are a specific composition. They are very small in size, large in quantity and surface area, and most important, capable of passing through the airblood barrier. These unique features of UFPs make them special in their impact on cardiovascular system. Nowadays, the influence of UFPs on the cardiovascular system has become a hot topic. On the one side, studies have shown that UFPs can cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the lung, and then induce systemic inflammation by releasing cytokine and reactive oxygen species into the circulation. On the other side, UFPs themselves can “spillout” into the circulation and interact with their targets. By this way, UFPs directly affect endothelial cells, myocardial cells and the autonomic nervous system, which ultimately result in increased cardiovascular events. We intend to make an overview about the recent progress about the influence of UFPs on human cardiovascular disease and the related mechanisms, and argue for more attention to this issue.

Key words: Air pollutant, Particulate matter, Cardiovascular disease