ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy
This article is part of the Research TopicBacterial Metabolites: Redefining Strategies to Combat Antimicrobial ResistanceView all 11 articles
Genomic and Metabolomic Insights into the Antimicrobial and Therapeutic Potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum UTNGt28L isolated from Amazonian star apple
Provisionally accepted
Gabriela N. Tenea1*
Ioana C. Marinas2
Gratiela Gradisteanu Pircalabioru2Jazmin Hidalgo1Mariana C. Chifiriuc2Mayte Noboa1- 1Universidad Técnica del Norte, Ibarra, Ecuador
- 2Institutul de Cercetare al Universitatii din Bucuresti, Bucharest, Romania
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The study highlights, for the first time, the probiotic potential and safety profile of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum UTNGt28L (Gt28L), a strain isolated from the Amazonian star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito). Its multifunctional properties have been investigated by a multi-omics approach, combining whole-genome sequencing, functional annotation, phylogenetic analysis, and biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) prediction. Untargeted metabolomic profiling via gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/MS-QTOF) was conducted to detect intracellular bioactive metabolites (Met-Int), while in silico tools evaluated antimicrobial potential, virulence features, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and ADME-Tox (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity) profiles. In addition, the chemical structural composition, antioxidant activity and polyphenol content of extracellular bioactive metabolites (Met-Ext), representing the culture supernatant were evaluated in vitro, thus linking genomic features with functional properties. Genomic profiling reveals a stable, biosafe genome (3.23 Mb), free of mobile virulence factors and ARGs, while encoding multiple class IIb plantaricins, explaining its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Metabolomic data revealed the presence of bioactive compounds such as phenyllactic acid (PLA), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)lactic acid, and benzoic acid. In vitro and in silico assessments support its safety profile, favorable ADME characteristics, and therapeutic potential. These findings position Gt28L as a promising candidate for probiotic and postbiotic applications in food, health, and pharmaceutical biotechnology.
Keywords: GC-MS metabolomics, lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Phenyllactic acid, Postbiotics, probiotic safety, γ-Aminobutyric acid
Received: 18 Dec 2025; Accepted: 19 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Tenea, Marinas, Gradisteanu Pircalabioru, Hidalgo, Chifiriuc and Noboa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Gabriela N. Tenea
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