The consumption of lactic acid bacteria capable of binding or degrading food-borne carcinogens may reduce human exposure to these deleterious compounds. In this study, 25 Lactobacillus strains isolated from human, plant, or dairy environments were investigated for their potential probiotic capacity against perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) toxicity. The PFOA binding, tolerance ability, and acid and bile salt tolerance were investigated and assessed by principal component analysis. Additionally, the effect of different pH levels and binding times was assessed. These strains exhibited different degrees of PFOA binding; the strain with the highest PFOA binding capability was Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM738, which bound to 49.40 +/- 1.5 % of available PFOA. This strain also exhibited relatively good cellular antioxidative properties, acid and bile salt tolerance, and adhesion to Caco-2 cells. This study suggests that L. plantarum CCFM738 could be used as a potential probiotic in food applications against PFOA toxicity.