By combining immunohistochemistry and fluorocytometry techniques, total calmodulin (total CaM), Ca(2+)-bound calmodulin (Ca.CaM) and total protein contents in single vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) enzymatically dispersed from the tail arteries of young (5-7 weeks old, prehypertensive) and adult (20-24 weeks old, established hypertensive) stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRsp) were studied and compared with those of age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). No significant difference was found in total CaM, Ca.CaM and protein contents between young SHRsp and WKY. Total CaM and protein contents in adult SHRsp were increased by similar degrees (30.7% and 27.5%, respectively) as in age-matched WKY, suggesting that increased total CaM content may be a consequence of increased synthesis of cellular protein during hypertension. However, Ca.CaM contents in adult SHRsp were significantly increased over those in age-matched WKY by a much higher degree (86.2%), reflecting an abnormal Ca2+ homeostasis in single VSMCs during hypertension.