Tissue engineering is a promisingapproach for the treatment of chronic lower back pain (LBP) caused by intervertebral IP: 111.93 115.186 On: Wed, 09 Jun 2021 06:46:04 disc degeneration (IDD) resulting from degeneration and inflammation of annulus fibrosus (AF) tissue. However, scaffold Copyright: Amer can Scientif c Pub ishers with an anti-inflammatory effect on AF cells has not been reported. In this study, we fabricated a polylactide-glycolide Delivered by Ing nta (PLGA)/poly-e-caprolactone (PCL)/dextran (DEX) composite membrane loaded with plastrum testudinis extract (PTE), a Traditional Chinese Medicine herbal extract, via electrospinning. The membranes were characterized by mechanical measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Using an in vitro inflammation model induced by interleukin (IL)-1/3, the cytocompatibility and anti-inflammatory effects of the composites were investigated by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. Potential regulatory mechanisms were examined by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. The results showed that the P10P8D2 (PLGA 10 g, PCL 8 g, DEX 2 g) composite nanofiber membrane exhibited the most uniform diameter distribution, best mechanical properties, a moderate degradation rate, and the best cytocompatibility characteristics. The optimal concentration of PTE was 120 mu g/mL. Importantly, P10P8D2 combined with PTE exhibited anti-inflammatory and cell proliferation promotion effects. Moreover, the NF-KB/NLRP3/IL-1p signaling pathway was inactivated. Our findings suggested that the nanofiber membrane composed of P10P8D2 and PTE has anti-inflammatory and pro-proliferation effects on AF cells. It may provide an effective strategy for AF tissue regeneration.