Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) suppresses cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in human colon cancer stem cells independent of p53 status via suppression of c-Myc and cyclin D1

•Indian gooseberry (amla) is rich in bioactive compounds including trigonelline, naringin, catechin, quercetin and kaempferol.•Amla suppressed proliferation independent of p53 status in human colon cancer stem cells (HCCSCs) and induced apoptosis.•Amla suppressed cell proliferation by targeting Wnt/β-catenin signalling and downregulated c-Myc and cyclin D1.•Amla induced mitochondrial mediated apoptosis as seen by elevated Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in HCCSCs.•Inhibition of stem-ness of HCCSCs by amla extract may be potentially due to its effect on the Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Indian gooseberry, also known as amla, a widely consumed fruit in South Asia, was evaluated for its anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic mechanisms on human colon cancer stem cells (HCCSC). Amla extracts suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis independent of p53, a tumour suppressor gene, in HCCSCs. Further, amla extracts suppressed cell proliferation by targeting the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway as seen by decreased nuclear translocation of β-catenin. Additionally, this led to suppressed expression of c-Myc and cyclin D1, key proteins involved in cell proliferation. Inhibition of stem-ness of HCCSCs by amla may be due to its effect on the Wnt/β-catenin signalling. These results indicate that amla suppresses HCCSC proliferation and induces apoptosis independent of p53 status via potentially targeting Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway. Amla is therefore a promising functional food for preventing colon cancer and might be a novel resource for the food industry.