Hibiscus syriacus L. cultivated in callus culture exerts cytotoxicity in colorectal cancer via Notch signaling-mediated cholesterol biosynthesis suppression

•Hibiscus syriacus callus extract (HCE) prepared from in vitro callus culture system.•Effect of HCE on colorectal cancer (CRC) and its underlying mechanism of action.•Prediction of signaling pathways underlying anti-CRC using bioinformatic analysis.•Validation of the predicted signaling pathways by in vitro and in vivo models.•HCE's anti-CRC effect by Notch signaling-mediated cholesterol synthesis suppression.