Persian Gulf Bivalves: Bioactive Pharmaceutical Compounds and Biomedical Applications

Bivalves are a class of marine mollusks with high nutritional value in addition to various medicinal products. The Persian Gulf is home to 224 species from 29 families of bivalves identified so far. Based on research conducted in the Persian Gulf or other parts of the world, bioactive compounds exist in their shell and soft tissue. In this review article, we reviewed biomedical research related to bivalves. To this end, after classifying the species in the Persian Gulf, articles related to the evaluation of biomedical applications of bivalves in reputable journals in PubMed and Google Scholar databases were included in this study. Research has shown the presence of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, and anti-microbial compounds in bivalves. They have also been used to produce bioadhesives. Many studies have also used them as biomarkers for monitoring environmental pollution. Due to the species diversity of the Persian Gulf and the biomedical potentials of bivalves, more purposeful and practical research is needed for the production and extraction of medical and health products.