Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 was isolated from fresh cow's milk in Penang, Malaysia. In-vitro evaluation has shown that this putative probiotic strain adhere to the criteria of probiotic characteristics; a) resistant towards acid and bile conditions of the upper gastrointestinal tract, b) does not possess antibiotic resistance as per requirement of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), c) able to adhere to mucin, d) has antioxidant properties, e) able to utilize prebiotics such as fructooligosaccharide (FOS), inulin and galactooligosaccharide (GOS), e) has a carbon metabolism profile adhering to the general patterns of lactobacilli, and f) possess antimicrobial properties against gastrointestinal pathogens. In-vivo evaluation using rats shown that this putative probiotic strain has gut protection properties; a) modulation of gastrointestinal microbial profile via suppressing gut pathogen populations and increasing the population of lactobacilli, b) decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines in the plasma, and c) reducing inflammation in the lower intestines.