Procyanidin C1 inhibits tumor growth and metastasis in colon cancer via modulating miR-501-3p/HIGD1A axis

•HIGD1A and ZG16, lower expressed in COAD than in READ, are both associated with poor prognosis in COAD, but not in READ.•Compared with ZG16, HIGD1A showed more efficiency in suppressing tumor growth and metastasis in CRC cells.•miR-501-3p, higher expressed in COAD than in READ, promoted CRC cells proliferation, invasion, and migration through suppressing HIGD1A expression.•High leveled miR-501-3p inhibited HIGD1A expression in COAD, which promoted tumor growth and metastasis, and eventually caused poor prognosis in COAD.•Procyanidin C1 (PCC1), a kind of natural polyphenol has been verified as a potential miR-501-3p inhibitor, which modulated miR-501-3p/HIGD1A axis and inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in vivo and in vitro.