The study aimed to investigate efficiency of salicin which was isolated from willow leaves to resist irradiation effect on electrophoretic protein, lipoprotein, isozymes and genomic DNA patterns in epididymal tissue of male rats. Irradiation caused significant (P < 0.05) elevation in the MDA level in the epididymal tissue. Salicin administration reduced the MDA level in all irradiated salicin treated rats. It showed the most suitable antagonistic effect in the irradiated salicin prepost-treated group. Irradiation caused various abnormalities in all electrophoretic patterns (protein, lipoprotein and isozymes). It caused qualitative alterations represented by disappearance of some or all normal bands with appearance of abnormal bands and /or deviation of normal bands to be appeared with another data (Rfs, Mwts and B % values). It caused quantitative alterations represented by changing B % of the bands appeared with normal Rf and Mwts. Salicin administration improved the SI values in protein pattern of all groups except irradiated salicin post-treated group. It could not prevent the qualitative or the quantitative effect of irradiation on lipoprotein pattern of all irradiated salicin treated groups. It showed the highest antagonistic effect against irradiation on electrophoretic esterase pattern of the irradiated salicin pre-treated group (SI = 1.00) and electrophoretic catalase pattern of the irradiated salicin pretreated and simultaneous treated groups (SI = 0.89). It minimized the qualitative effect of irradiation on the electrophoretic peroxidase pattern of all irradiated salicin treated groups especially in the irradiated salicin prepost-treated (SI = 0.55) and post-treated group (SI = 0.50). At the molecular level, salicin administration showed obvious antagonistic effect against irradiation on the DNA pattern in all irradiated salicin treated groups except irradiated salicin simultaneous treated group (S = 0.17). The study concluded that salicin administration prevented or minimized the mutagenic effect of irradiation at the biochemical, electrophoretic and molecular patterns in the most irradiated salicin treated groups.
