Butyric acid (butanoic acid) belongs to a group of short-chain fatty acids and is thought to play several beneficial roles in the gastrointestinal tract. The butyric anion is easily absorbed by enteric cells and used as a main source of energy. Moreover, butyric acid is an important regulator of colonocyte proliferation and apoptosis, gastrointestinal tract motility and bacterial microflora composition in addition to its involvement in many other processes including immunoregulation and anti-inflammatory activity. Butyric acid shows a protective effect in inflammatory response secondary to inflammatory bowel diseases. A beneficial effect of butyric acid as one constituent of a multifaceted mechanism modulating gastrointestinal function has also been stressed in patients with the stoma and coexisting constipation. Butyric acid supplementation combined with the use of probiotics should be adopted as one of the basic therapeutic strategies in this patient group, preceding treatment with laxatives. Sodium butyrate in the form of enemas (combined in a mixture with A-300 silicon dioxide) may be a successful method of therapeutic management in patients with radiation proctitis. Sodium butyrate may also prevent diarrhea through an increased passive absorption of water in the colon and its effects on the gut microflora.

Pyridoxal is a pyridinecarbaldehyde and a form of vitamin B 6 which is converted to pyridoxal phosphate. Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate is involved in a wide range of biochemical reactions, including the metabolism of amino acids and glycogen, the synthesis of nucleic acids, hemoglobin, sphingomyelin, and other sphingolipids, and the synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Pyridoxal is one of the natural forms available of vitamin B6, therefore, it is used for nutritional supplementation and for treating dietary shortage or imbalances. Some medically relevant bacteria, such as those in the genera Granulicatella and Abiotrophia, require pyridoxal for growth. This nutritional requirement can lead to the culture phenomenon of satellite growth. In in vitro culture, these pyridoxal-dependent bacteria may only grow in areas surrounding colonies of bacteria from other genera ("satellitism") that are capable of producing pyridoxal.