Table I.
Alpha diversity index comparison based on the total number of OTUs.
| Group | No. of mice | OTU | Chao | ACE | Shannon | Simpson |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | 6 | 489.67±22.64 | 542.45±21.25 | 539.83±19.76 | 4.31±0.06 | 0.04±0.008 |
| Asthma | 6 | 460.33±12.59a | 518.34±15.05a | 510.94±18.07a | 4.19±0.087a | 0.05±0.019 |
| APS (2.5 g/kg) | 6 | 461.67±47.89b | 512.38±42.64b | 512.45±44.79b | 4.09±0.37b | 0.05±0.017 |
| APS (5.0 g/kg) | 6 | 503.33±10.84b | 554.75±14.85b | 547.89±9.91b | 4.39±0.11b | 0.04±0.006 |
| APS (10 g/kg) | 6 | 507.67±3.68b | 554.33±4.92b | 555.96±3.92b | 4.61±0.18b | 0.05±0.008 |
| DXM | 6 | 438.67±49.60b | 486.02±45.53b | 484.06±47.99b | 4.21±0.38b | 0.04±0.019 |
OTUs, operational taxonomic units; APS, Astragalus polysaccharide; DXM, dexamethasone.
aP<0.05 vs. control group;
bP<0.05 vs. asthma group.