Potential Role of mTORC1 in Linking Amino-Acid Availability, GH-IGF-1 Signaling, and Growth-Plate Function in Childhood Stunting: A Narrative Review
Farhan Naufal Adiyatma1, Dwi Aprilawati2*, Stefanie Jasper Hamindo1, Gadis Meinar Sari3
Abstract
Stunting affects 150.2 million children under five worldwide. Its mechanism is frequently explained by caloric deficiency alone. The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway has emerged as a biochemical link between dietary amino acid availability and the hormonal signaling that drives linear bone growth. This review examines the potential relationships among mTORC1 signaling, the growth hormone–insulin-like growth factor 1 (GH–IGF-1) axis, growth-plate chondrocytes, and environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) in childhood stunting. A literature search was done through PubMed and Google Scholar using combinations of the terms “mTORC1,” “stunting,” “essential amino acids,” “IGF-1,” “growth plate,” “chondrocyte,” and “environmental enteric dysfunction”. Essential amino acids, particularly leucine, activate mTORC1 through Rag GTPase and Ragulator sensing. mTORC1 activity, in turn, supports hepatic IGF-1 synthesis and directly regulates growth plate chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation through the S6K1-Gli2-PTHrP axis. Independently, chronic infection and EED trigger systemic inflammation that inhibits IGF-1 synthesis through a diet-independent route, converging on the same downstream growth signaling pathway. The mTORC1 pathway provides an explanation of how dietary protein quality and infection burden determines linear growth outcomes, with potential implications for how complementary feeding and infection control are prioritized in stunting prevention programs. Further studies are needed to clarify how these pathways interact and whether mTORC1 represents a direct causal link between nutritional and inflammatory determinants of stunting.
Keywords
mTORC1; child stunting; IGF-1; growth plate; environmental enteric dysfunction
Cite This Article
Adiyatma, F. N., Aprilawati, D., Hamindo, S. J., Sari, G. M. (2026). Potential Role of mTORC1 in Linking Amino-Acid Availability, GH-IGF-1 Signaling, and Growth-Plate Function in Childhood Stunting: A Narrative Review. International Journal of Scientific Advances (IJSCIA), Volume 7| Issue 5: Sep – Oct 2026, Pages 583-587 URL: https://www.ijscia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Volume7-Issue5-Sep-Oct-No.1079-583-587.pdf
Volume 7 | Issue 5: Sep – Oct 2026
