A composition and method of preventing a lysosomal leakage from eukaryotic cells is based on a 6-methyluracil based water-soluble compound. The cells are being exposed to a water solution of such compound for the duration of a sub-optimal condition such as a temperature shock, starvation, radiation, etc. The optimum concentration of the compound is ranging from 1 to 1000 micrograms per milliliter of a solution. The preferred concentration is from 10 to 500 mkg/ml. The most advantageous composition from the group is a complex of 2,4-dihydroxy-6-methylpyrimidine with N-methyl-D-glucamine. Besides cell preservation, the composition is useful for a treatment of a variety of medical conditions characterized by excessive or inappropriate apoptosis such as ischemia, type I diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases. The composition is also useful in yeast production, food preservation, and other applications.