Abstract: To investigate the effects of filter ventilation on the releases of major nitrogen-containing heterocyclic basic aroma components (BACs) in mainstream cigarette smoke for optimum smoke sensory balance, the releases of BACs in mainstream cigarette smoke at different filter ventilation rates were analyzed by GC-MS method. The results showed:1) The BACs in mainstream cigarette smoke were mainly pyridine and indole compounds, their releases accounted for about 90% of the total release of this type of compounds in smoke. The pyridines compounds were mainly 2, 3'-bipyridine, pyridine, 3-vinylpyridine and 3-methylpyridine, and the major indole compound was 2-methylindole. 2) With the increase of filter ventilation rate, both the releases of 16 BACs and the total release of all BACs in mainstream cigarette smoke decreased gradually, however their rates of decline differed greatly. 3) With the increase of filter ventilation rate, the proportions of the releases of 16 BACs in the total release of all BACs differed significantly, the proportions of 2, 3'-bipyridine, 3-methylpyridine, 4-methylpyridine, 2-ethylpyridine and 2, 6-dimethylpyrazine raised gradually, those of pyridine, 3-vinylpyridine, 2-methylpyridine, quinoline and isoquinoline decreased, and those of 2-acetylpyrazole, 2-methylindole and 2, 4-dimethylpyridine were almost unchanged.