AE has beneficial effects on PSD rats by improving depression, significantly enhancing behavioral functioning, reducing depression levels, increasing activity and curiosity, ameliorating brain tissue injuries and lesions, increasing the number of neurons in brain tissues, and reducing the levels of AQP3, AQP4, AQP5, GFAP, and TRPV4 in brain tissue. This evidence concerns the gene AQP4 and major depressive disorder.