Epidemiological studies suggest that particulate matter (PM10) inhalation was associated with adverse effects on brain-related health, however, existing experimental data lacked relevant evidences. In this study, we treated Wistar rats with PM10 at different concentrations (0.3, 1, 3 and 10 mg/kg body weight (bw)), and investigated endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory responses in the brain. The results indicate that mild pathological abnormal occurred after 15-day exposure (five times with 3 days each), followed by the changes of endothelial mediators (ET-1 and eNOS) and inflammatory markers (IL-1 beta, TNE-alpha, COX-2, iNOS and ICAM-1). Also, the sample up-regulated bax/bcl-2 ratio and p53 expression, and induced neuronal apoptosis. It implicates that PM10 exerted injuries to mammals' brain, and the mechanisms might be involved in endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory responses. (C) 2012 Elsevier BM. All rights reserved.