Objective To investigate the effect of butyrate on monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs) and plasma inflammatory cytokines in mice with alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Methods Sixty female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: negative control group, ALD model group, sodium butyrate (NaB)-treated control group and NaB-treated ALD model group. The control groups were fed with ethanol-free modified Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets, while the model groups were fed with ethanol-containing modified Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets. Meanwhile, mice in the NaB-treated groups were given a liquid diet containing NaB (0.6 g/kg). After 6 weeks of feeding, the proportions of M-MDSCs in the peripheral blood, liver and spleen cells were detected by flow cytometry. Concentrations of plasma inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin -10 (IL-10) were determined by cytometric bead array (CBA). The correlation between the proportion of M-MDSCs and plasma inflammatory cytokines were analyzed. Results Compared with negative control group, the proportions of M-MDSCs of the peripheral blood, liver and spleen cells in ALD model group increased significantly; plasma TNF-α level also dramatically increased; plasma IL-10 concentration, however, decreased considerably. In contrast, compared to ALD model group, the proportions of M-MDSCs of the peripheral blood, liver and spleen cells in NaB-treated ALD model group significantly increased. The level of plasma TNF-α decreased and plasam IL-10 concentration increased after NaB treatment. Moreover, the proportions of M-MDSCs in peripheral blood, liver and spleen were negatively correlated with TNF-α and positively correlated with IL-10. Conclusion NaB may alleviate the progression of ALD by involving M-MDSCs in the peripheral blood, liver, spleen and suppressing inflammation in mice.