VWF and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: HE staining analysis results exhibited that the COPD rats treated with NAC and oe-VWF had less inflammatory cell infiltration, less destruction of the alveolar septum, and complete columnar epithelial cells compared with those treated with NAC and oe-NC, while opposite trends were noted in the presence of NAC + oe-VWF compared with oe-VWF alone (Fig. 3D).