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

• Main Authors: Ramakrishna Vadde, Sridhar Radhakrishnan, Hewage Eranda Karunathilake Kurundu, Lavanya Reddivari, Jairam K.P. Vanamala
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2016-08-01
• Series: Journal of Functional Foods
• Subjects: Colon cancer; Cancer stem cells; Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) seed and pulp; Proliferation; Apoptosis; Wnt/β-catenin signalling
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464616301505

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.