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Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum OL3246 supports healthy aging by enhancing quality of life, reducing inflammation, and modulating gut microbiota: a pilot study
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  • Open access
  • Published: 02 February 2026

Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum OL3246 supports healthy aging by enhancing quality of life, reducing inflammation, and modulating gut microbiota: a pilot study

  • Rafał Jastrząb1,
  • Andrzej Małecki2,
  • Elżbieta Kmiecik-Małecka3,4,
  • Agnieszka Gorzkowska5,6,
  • Barbara Krzystyniak1,
  • Kamil Kubas1,
  • Justyna Widłak-Kargul1,
  • Damian Wolman1,
  • Katarzyna Matkiewicz1,
  • Marta Nowacka-Chmielewska2,
  • Daniela Liśkiewicz2,
  • Konstancja Grabowska2,
  • Mateusz Grabowski2,
  • Natalia Pondel2,
  • Gabriela Początek5,7,
  • Gabriela Kłodowska8 &
  • …
  • Jennifer Mytych1 

npj Aging , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

  • 23 Accesses

  • Metrics details

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Diseases
  • Gastroenterology
  • Microbiology

Abstract

Aging is accompanied by low-grade intestinal inflammation, shifts in gut microbiota, and impaired oxidative balance. Probiotic supplementation has been proposed to mitigate these processes, yet evidence in elderly populations remains limited. In this pilot trial, older adults received oral Lactiplantibacillus plantarum OL3246 or placebo, with assessments including fecal calprotectin and zonulin as markers of intestinal inflammation, systemic oxidative stress parameters, self-reported quality of life and mood, and gut microbiome composition analyzed by sequencing and functional profiling. L. plantarum OL3246 supplementation was well tolerated and associated with consistent improvements across clinical, biochemical, and microbial measures. Participants reported enhanced quality of life and mood, while fecal calprotectin levels declined, indicating reduced intestinal inflammation. Moreover, oxidative stress markers improved with lower AOPP, stabilization of SOD, and restoration of redox balance. Microbiome analyses showed greater diversity and enrichment of health-associated taxa. These findings indicate that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum OL3246 may support healthy aging.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study contain sensitive medical information. In accordance with patient confidentiality, GDPR regulations, and the requirements of the local ethics committee, these data cannot be made publicly available. Importantly, the data have been presented in the manuscript in the form of dot plots, ensuring transparency and allowing independent assessment of the findings without access to raw medical records. For ethically justified and scientifically sound requests, limited access to anonymized datasets may be considered upon reasonable request to the corresponding author (J.M.), under conditions that guarantee data protection and confidentiality.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR, Poland), under the grant number POIR.01.01.01-00-0985/17.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Development Center, Olimp Laboratories Sp. z o.o., Dębica, Poland

    Rafał Jastrząb, Barbara Krzystyniak, Kamil Kubas, Justyna Widłak-Kargul, Damian Wolman, Katarzyna Matkiewicz & Jennifer Mytych

  2. Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Physiotherapy and Health Sciences, Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland

    Andrzej Małecki, Marta Nowacka-Chmielewska, Daniela Liśkiewicz, Konstancja Grabowska, Mateusz Grabowski & Natalia Pondel

  3. Laboratory of Brain Activity, Institute of Physiotherapy and Health Sciences, Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland

    Elżbieta Kmiecik-Małecka

  4. Neurorehabilitation Ward, Silesian Voivodship Hospital No. 5, Sosnowiec, Poland

    Elżbieta Kmiecik-Małecka

  5. Department of Neurology, School of Health Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland

    Agnieszka Gorzkowska & Gabriela Początek

  6. Upper-Silesian Medical Centre, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland

    Agnieszka Gorzkowska

  7. Doctoral School of Medical and Health Sciences, Silesian Medical University, Katowice, Poland

    Gabriela Początek

  8. Neuro-Care Medical Center, Katowice, Poland

    Gabriela Kłodowska

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  1. Rafał Jastrząb
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Contributions

R.J.: writing—review and editing, writing—original draft, software, data curation, visualization, formal analysis, conceptualization, and funding acquisition; A.M.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; E.K.M.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; A.G.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; B.K.: resources, methodology, and investigation; K.K.: methodology and investigation; J.W.-K.: methodology and investigation; D.W.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; K.M. methodology, investigation, and data curation; M.N.-Ch.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; D.L.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; K.G.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; M.G.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; N.P.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; G.P.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; G.K.: methodology, investigation, and data curation; J.M.: supervision, writing—review and editing, resources, project administration, and conceptualization. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer Mytych.

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Competing interests

This study was sponsored by Olimp Laboratories Sp. z o.o., which received a public research grant from the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR, Poland). The funding agency had no role in the study design, data analysis, interpretation, or the decision to submit the article for publication. The study was conceptually designed by investigators from the Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland, and Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, in cooperation with the R&D department of Olimp Laboratories Sp. z o.o., and subsequently approved by the sponsor. The investigational product was developed and manufactured in-house at Olimp Laboratories Sp. z o.o. by company employees who are also co-authors of this paper. The sponsor had no role in data analysis, interpretation of results, manuscript writing, or the decision to submit for publication. These details are now explicitly stated in the revised manuscript to ensure full transparency. All aspects of patient recruitment, data collection, data management, and preliminary statistical analysis were performed independently by the Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland and Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland research teams. The final statistical analyses were conducted by the first author and independently cross-checked by the Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland and Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland co-authors to ensure accuracy. JM, RJ, BK, KK, JW-K, DW, and KM are employees of Olimp Laboratories Sp. z o.o. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

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Jastrząb, R., Małecki, A., Kmiecik-Małecka, E. et al. Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum OL3246 supports healthy aging by enhancing quality of life, reducing inflammation, and modulating gut microbiota: a pilot study. npj Aging (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-026-00338-0

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  • Received: 08 September 2025

  • Accepted: 23 January 2026

  • Published: 02 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-026-00338-0

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