Sodium butyrate (NaB) dissociating to butyric acid is regarded as a molecule which may be potentially applied in gastrointestinal mucosa treatment. In humans, NaB is produced by colonic bacteria. In certain cases, NaB production may be diminished; hence supplementation with exogenous NaB is essential the more so as NaB is a major energy source for colonocytes. In this review, we would like to discuss present knowledge about the role of NaB in the gastrointestinal tract, in particular its trophic, proapoptotic, cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory role.