It was observed that a highly purified preparation of polar glycolipids extracted from cells of the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria Planktothrix is characterized by the presence of at least one species of high molecular weight glycolipid comprising one or more units of rhamnose. In such mixture, having a level of nucleic acid contamination lower than (or equal to) 3%, an inhibitory activity toward ATP synthase (ATP-SX) was identified which is capable of decreasing the level of extracellular ATP and thereby the extent of the inflammatory response. The glycolipid mixture is especially useful in inflammation induced by ischemic stimuli, cancer or autoimmune diseases (such as multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, autoimmune thyroiditis, systemic lupus erythematosus), in addition to systemic inflammatory states such as systemic inflammatory syndrome (SIRS), sepsis, vasculitis, or in localized inflammatory states, such as neurodegenerative diseases or asthma.
