Antioxidant potential of ethanolic extract of Swertia quartiniana leaves was determined using thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) and iron chelation assays. The result of the study revealed that incubating rat’s brain and liver homogenates in the presence of 60mMFe2+ caused increased in malondaldehyde (MDA) production in rat’s brain and liver homogenate when compared with normal. However the ethanolic extract of Swertia quartiniana leaves caused decrease in MDA content in both brain and liver homogenates. The extract had higher inhibitory effect at concentration of 29mg/ml (1c50 2.97mg/ml) in the liver and at concentration of 44mg/ml (1c50 0.11mg/ml) in the brain. The extract also showed chelating ability of 76% at concentration of 110mg/ml. The inhibitory effect of the ethanolic extract of Swertia quartiniana using both assays were concentration dependent. It was therefore concluded that ethanolic extract of Swertia quartiniana prevent Fe2+ -induced lipid peroxidation due to higher Fe2+ chelating ability.
