Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are known as metabolites produced from gut microbiome fermenting dietary fibers and resistant starch. They are regulators of the interplay between the microbiome and its host and may have a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Free SCFAs influence intestinal epithelial and immune cells (e.g. macrophages and primary monocytes) through activation of free fatty acid receptors FFAR2 and FFAR3, inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDAC) and as a source of energy.