Lactiplantibacillus plantarum as a Biosafe Microbial Bridge in the Gut-Environment Continuum

Sustainable microbial technologies require agents that combine biosafety with multifunctionality across human, animal, plant, and environmental systems. This narrative review provides a comparative analysis of the biosafety profiles and functional capabilities of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and selected microbial agents used in green technologies, including Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Azospirillum, and Rhizobium. Particular attention is given to the versatility of selected Lpb. plantarum strains and their applications in soil and water remediation, agriculture, and fermented food systems. Recent studies indicate that certain Lpb. plantarum strains contribute to the biosorption and detoxification of metals such as Pb, Cd, Cu, and Mn, while also supporting gut microbiota modulation, immune regulation, plant growth promotion, phytopathogen suppression, and mitigation of microplastic-associated toxicity. These observations build upon the previously proposed concept of a "One Health probiotic," defined as a probiotic microorganism with beneficial or neutral effects across human, animal, plant, and environmental domains, toward the "gut-environment continuum" framework describing how microbial functions may operate across interconnected soil-plant-animal-human systems. Although available evidence highlights the potential of selected Lpb. plantarum strains as microbial resources with favorable biosafety profiles, many reported functions remain strain-dependent and require further validation under field conditions. By integrating findings from environmental microbiology, sustainable agriculture, and probiotic research, this review discusses both the opportunities and limitations of applying Lpb. plantarum within One Health-oriented green technologies and sustainable pollution management. Rather than proposing Lpb. plantarum as a universally applicable solution, the review presents selected strains as informative models for evaluating how microorganisms with well-established biosafety records may complement established microbial candidates in environmental biotechnology. More broadly, this review highlights that biosafety should be considered alongside functional performance during early selection of microbial candidates for One Health-oriented environmental and agricultural applications, while recognizing that all candidate microorganisms require ecological and biosafety assessment prior to environmental deployment.