Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains and health effects in people
What it found
Different strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum had different effects in people, from easing gut symptoms and constipation to improving cholesterol, stress and skin, while some strains showed little or no benefit.
What they found
Studies in people
Gut symptoms and IBS
In people with irritable bowel syndrome, L. plantarum Lpla33 and L. plantarum APsulloc 331261 eased diarrhea-related symptoms. L. plantarum 299v showed no significant effect on abdominal pain, bloating or rectal emptying compared with placebo, though some studies noted modest improvements. L. plantarum MF1298 was linked to worse IBS symptoms.
Constipation and diarrhea
L. plantarum Lp3a, IS-10506 and P9 helped relieve constipation in people. L. plantarum CCFM1143 eased chronic diarrhea in adults, and L. plantarum LRCC5310 improved rotavirus-induced diarrhea in children. L. plantarum 299v did not help children with diarrhea.
Immune and infections
L. plantarum IS-10506 raised a marker of mucosal immunity in young children. L. plantarum DR7 reduced the severity and length of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, and L. plantarum PCS26 eased urinary tract infection symptoms. L. plantarum P17630 and I1001 helped with recurrent vaginal yeast infections.
Skin and oral health
L. plantarum IS-10506 and CJLP133 reduced atopic dermatitis severity in adults and children. L. plantarum GMNL6, HY7714 and LB224R showed benefits for skin tone, aging and wrinkles. L. plantarum 299v worked as well as chlorhexidine against mouth bacteria in ventilated patients, and CCFM8724 helped prevent early childhood tooth decay.
Brain, mood and stress
L. plantarum PS128 improved autism symptoms, reduced depression severity and improved sleep in people with insomnia, but did not reduce tics in children with Tourette syndrome. L. plantarum HEAL9, P8, JYLP-326 and DR7 reduced stress, anxiety or depression in adults and students. L. plantarum OLL2712 was linked to protection against memory decline in older people.
Cholesterol, blood sugar and weight
Several strains lowered cholesterol or triglycerides in people, including EGCG 13110402, Inducia, K50 and a combination of CECT 7527, CECT 7528 and CECT 7529. L. plantarum HAC01 lowered post-meal glucose and HbA1c in people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. L. plantarum LMT-48 and IMC 510 helped with weight control, while Dad-13 did not change body weight or lipids.
What the authors conclude
“The therapeutic potential of L. plantarum is extensive, with certain strains exhibiting promising clinical benefits for specific health concerns.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the therapeutic potential of L. plantarum is extensive, with certain strains showing promising clinical benefits for specific health concerns.
- They advocate for integrating L. plantarum strains into clinical practice, while calling for more research on how they work, the best doses and their long-term safety.
- They note that most findings are qualitative without effect size or confidence interval estimates, and that study differences limit how widely the results can be applied.
How it was done
The authors wanted to pull together what is known about individual L. plantarum strains in people, because effects seem to differ from one strain to another and this makes it hard to pick the right one for a given health problem.
They searched PubMed and Embase for human studies of single L. plantarum strains published up to December 2023. From 5481 records, 69 studies met their criteria and were summarised. Sample sizes ranged from 20 to more than 400 people, and treatments lasted from about a week to six months, mostly four to twelve weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- This is a summary of many different studies, so it cannot prove that any one strain causes a particular health effect.
- The included studies varied in design, dose, length and the people taking part, and factors like diet, age and gut bacteria were not studied, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- Some strains, such as L. plantarum 299v, gave mixed results across studies, and the review cannot explain why.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Thailand Science Research and Innovation Fund Chulalongkorn University; Second Century Fund (C2F) (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Thailand; National Taiwan University, Taiwan
The paper
- Title
- Strain-Specific Therapeutic Potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum : A Systematic Scoping Review
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Chatsirisakul O, Leenabanchong N, Siripaopradit Y, Chang CW, Buhngamongkol P, Pongpirul K (2025). Strain-Specific Therapeutic Potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum : A Systematic Scoping Review. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu17071165Free full textPubMed 40218922DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error